


Never Let You Fall

by daniflo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, M/M, Pining, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, and i mean VERY slow burn, first fic in this fandom, the guardian angel au no one asked for, very slight angst, will tag as I go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-10-12 18:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10496532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daniflo/pseuds/daniflo
Summary: Konoha Akinori is a 'freaking moron', in the wise and eloquent words of senior guardian angel, Kuroo Tetsuro. Said moron’s assigned guardian angel, Akaashi Keiji, would have to agree, especially when the head of the guardian angel department sends him down to earth to whip his human into shape.But attempting to straighten out Konoha's life is no small task, especially when a certain owl-resembling friend of his does nothing but add fire to the flame. And how on earth is poor guardian angel Akaashi to help out his human when the main bad influence is so.... Interesting?





	1. I: Barachiel - The Introduction to the World of Angels

Akaashi Keiji wasn’t the type to sit around and allow his human’s emotions to overcome his moral compass. Which was precisely why the junior guardian angel was currently so stressed.

No matter how many times he went over Konoha Akinori’s emotion files, he simply couldn’t figure out what was wrong. The amount of hours he had spent in the office in the past week had far passed the three digit mark. His co workers had attempted multiple times to pull him away from the endless hours of footage of Konoha’s daily activities, but he simply wouldn’t budge.

Thus brought about the predicament he currently found himself in. As he read through his human’s file from the previous night, his door flew open.

“You work too much!’’ A voice boomed from the doorway of Akaashi’s small office. “Come have lunch with us!”

“I apologize, I will have to miss out yet again. I have to go through th-”

“His files, we get it!” His co worker, Oikawa, continued. “But come on, you haven’t left the office in days. Not even Suga-chan is this diligent!”

Akaashi looked up at the brunette over the frames of his reading glasses. “I’d prefer you not call our senpai, ‘chan’, Oikawa-san.”

“Only if you agree to come to lunch with us!” Oikawa sing songed, leaning against the doorframe.

Akaashi sighed, placing the file in his drawer and standing up. Oikawa cheered as he grabbed his jacket and followed him into the hallway.

“Tetsu-chan and Tendou-chan will meet us there.” Oikawa explained, leading an unwilling Akaashi into the elevator.

“This was a bad idea.” Akaashi groaned, pushing the button to take them to the lobby. “I have work to do.”

“Or you can take a break for once in your life.” Oikawa teased, leaning against the wall.

Akaashi raised his eyebrow at the man. “If I take too many breaks then I’ll be just as incompetent an angel as you.”

It was true. Oikawa was not the best angel in business, preferring to spend the majority of his time having fun with his fellow slackers, or simply admiring his human’s arms.

“Rude, Aka-chan!” Oikawa huffed, walking into the busy lobby. “I’ll have you know that Iwa-chan is a responsible human who doesn’t need my help to keep his emotions in check. He could use the help picking up girls though.”

“I pity his poor soul that ended up with you.” Akaashi deadpanned.

The two dodged the crowds in the lobby, making their way to the front door. As Akaashi emerged onto the even busier street, Oikawa grabbed his hand and dragged him through the masses.

“Tetsu-chan is going to be so excited! You’ve finally left your sulking cave!” Oikawa exclaimed as they approached a small intersection.

“It’s my office, not my sulking cave, Oikawa-san.”

“Same difference.” The brunette winked.

The two arrived at a small coffee shop, a large green awning providing shade for a few outside tables.

Two men sat at one of the mentioned outdoor tables, one with wild red hair, and the other with even more unruly black hair.

“Oikawa!” Kuroo exclaimed, looking up from the laminated menu he was currently holding.

The two approached the table as Tendou greeted them. “Oh? You got Akaashi-kun to finally leave his sulking cave.”

“It’s my office.”

“Sulking cave.” Kuroo nodded in agreement.

“I told you, Aka-chan!” Oikawa said, picking up the menu. “Everyone agrees that it’s the sulking cave!”

Akaashi sighed, skimming halfheartedly through a laminated menu of his own. “So how are your humans doing?”

“You only ever talk about work.” Tendou drawled out, draping himself over the table.

Kuroo rolled his eyes at the redhead’s antics, turning to Akaashi. “Horrible. My human made a new friend recently, which means I’ll be getting a knock on my door from that troublesome Kageyama any moment now.”

“Oh, Tobio-chan from the second floor?” Oikawa asked.

“That’s the one.”

Oikawa grimaced. “He bugged me for ages asking how I keep my human so calm. He’s such a little brat.”

“Well, his human is just a little bundle of energy. Almost as bad as Bokuto.”

Tendou leaned over to the black haired man, a smug look on his face. “I guess we can’t all be as lucky as me, with my delightfully composed SemiSemi.”

“How does that poor man even survive with an angel like you watching over him.” Akaashi said.

Tendou smirked, leaning back in his chair. “He’s actually quite the hothead. It’s fun to push his buttons a bit and get him to burst.”

“You’re a terrible person, Tendou-chan.” Oikawa laughed.

The waitress came by and took each of their orders, undoubtedly making a mistake in Oikawa’s complicated lunch concoction.

“So, Akaashi, what exactly is the trouble with your human?” Kuroo asked, handing the last menu to the waitress.

Akaashi took a sip of his water, attempting to block out the three curious, and slightly mischievous, looks his coworkers were giving him. “Konoha-san is beginning to get involved in illicit and immoral activities.”

“It’s that nasty snake on the third floor’s fault.” Kuroo hissed, “He has a terrarium in his office with actual reptiles in it.”

Oikawa nodded, keeping eye contact with Akaashi. “And his human’s personality is awful.”

“All because he’s too lazy to keep a proper eye on him.” Kuroo added.

“He doesn’t even care about his job.” Oikawa continued, waving his right hand passively.

Tendou rested his head on his hands, leaning forward to face the two. “You two seem to find him awfully disagreeable...”

“He is!” Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms.

“Though you two may dislike him, I believe the real blame here is to be placed upon Kuroo-san.” Akaashi said, emotionless. “His human does nothing but encourage this behaviour.”

Kuroo raised his hand in surrender, giving Akaashi a faux innocent look. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I did nothing wrong. I’m literally an angel.”

Akaashi narrowed his eyes at the man, pausing the topic as their food arrived.

“It could be said that Bokuto-chan is a bad influence on Aka-chan’s human.” Oikawa noted as he poked at his ramen.

Tendou nodded, eyes wide as noodles hung out of his mouth. “He is quite the party animal.” He said.

“And he insists on bringing Konoha-san along to his wild nights of... debauchery.” Akaashi said.

“Woah, okay, he’s not that bad.” Kuroo defended.

“My SemiSemi is so selfless, helping to control those monsters.” Tendou said dreamily.

Akaashi rolled his eyes, turning back to Kuroo. “Perhaps if you took the initiative in helping your human, such as Hana-san, we wouldn’t be having this problem.”

Oikawa dropped his chopsticks as a noodle fell out of Tendou’s mouth.

“Aka-chan...” Oikawa breathed out, eyes wide in shock. “You can’t be serious...”

Akaashi shrugged slightly, turning his attention to his food. Kuroo’s grip on his chopsticks tightened, one snapping at the raven haired boy grinded his teeth together.

“Aka-chan... You know how dangerous that is...”

Kuroo stood up abruptly, placing a few small coins on the table.

“Well, I’m leaving.” He said, glaring at Akaashi. “I hope you can get your little problem figured out without committing suicide.”

“Tetsu-chan, wai-”

Kuroo stormed off, back in the direction of the office building, leaving the other three behind with an awkward tension.

Akaashi pushed the guilt he felt down, simply continuing to eat as if nothing had happened. Tendou and Oikawa turned to him, shocked looks on their faces.

“Aka-chan, was that really necessary?” Oikawa asked in disbelief.

Tendou nodded, regaining his composure. “That was awfully rude of you.”

“He needs a reality check.” Akaashi said flippantly.

Oikawa sighed, looking down at his food. “He may not look it, but he’s actually quite diligent at his job. Especially after what happened with his last human. You don’t know how rough it is.”

Akaashi simply stood up, placing a few of his own coins on the table as well.

“I think I should head back as well.” He said, “It was a pleasure.”

***

When the very loud and overly energetic assistant of the boss knocked on Akaashi’s door the next day, he was pondering if it pertained to the offhanded comment he made to Kuroo. With Noya simply telling him that the boss was calling him, he was certain it was just that.

As he stepped into the elevator, the shorter boy pressed the button leading to the fortieth, and highest, floor. One that Akaashi had only been to once before.

As the light chime of the elevator signalled, the doors opened. Noya skipped out into the deserted hall, leading Akaashi down to the white door at the opposing end.

“See, Suga-san is right here.” Noya smiled, presenting the door.

Akaashi nodded, knocking three times, as per customary when addressing the boss.

Noya seemed to disappear as a muffled voice yelled for the angel to enter. As he slowly opened the heavy door, he was greeted with a large room, bookshelves covering every wall, from the floor to thirty foot high ceiling. 

A small desk sat in the middle, a man with gray hair and a wide smile sat behind it.

“Akaashi, come in.” He prompted, indicating to the leather chair sat in front of the desk.

“Good afternoon, Suga-san.” Akaashi greeted, walking up and bowing to his boss.

“Oh, no need for the formalities. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”

Akaashi sat down, shaking his head to indicate a no. “Thank you for the offer.”

“Of course.” Suga smiled, pulling a folder out of his desk. “Now, I wanted to speak to you about something, regarding your human.”

Akaashi nodded as Suga placed a pair of reading glasses onto his face, scanning the papers from the folder.

“It seems that you’ve been having a rough time with... Konoha-kun lately.” Suga continued, looking up at Akaashi.

“Yes, I’ve been looking through his folders nonstop and watching his footage, but... I’m not entirely sure what to do.” Akaashi admitted.

Suga smiled at the black haired man, taking his glasses off and looking him in the eyes. “Akaashi, you are a great guardian angel, one of the best in the department.” He began, “This is only your first human, and it’s taken almost twenty years for you to experience your first hiccup with him. I believe that’s something to be proud of, don’t you?”

“Uh... Yes, sir.”

“Precisely. I know that you will have a great future here, especially once you have a human or two on your resume. I have been observing Konoha-kun myself for a few days, and I must admit, I am slightly worried at how quickly he is beginning to corrupt. By no fault of your own. I fear this may be beyond your control.”

Akaashi stood up, placing his hands onto the desk. “How can I help him, Suga-san. Please, tell me what I can do.”

Suga sighed, leaning forward onto the desk. “If you want to stop this situation before it spirals out of control, there is only one method I can think of.”

Akaashi slowly sat down, looking at his boss with a shocked face. “You don’t mean...”

“Typically, I wouldn’t allow a junior angel to do this...” Suga sighed, sitting back. “But, this situation worries me. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a human spiral out of control so quickly.”

“Suga-san, this is incredibly dangerous.” Akaashi said. “I don’t know if I’m ready for it.”

“You are by no means required to do this. But if this human becomes fully corrupt, you know the consequences.” Suga stood up, putting the file away. “That is all. If you decide that you wish to go through with this, please come see me tomorrow. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a business meeting with another head angel from the Leviticus branch.”

Akaashi stood up, thanking Suga and bowing, only to quickly walk out of the office. As he walked down the never ending hallway, his mind spun. He would have to make his decision by the next day. He had one day, twenty-four hours, to decide his fate.

***

“Akaashi! Akaashi! Open the door!”

Akaashi sat on the couch in his small apartment, a video clip of Konoha at volleyball practice displayed on his television. He heard the voices of Kuroo and Oikawa outside of his door, the former attempting to knock it down entirely.

“Aka-chan! Let us in!”

“We know what Suga-san asked you to do!”

“You’re going to get yourself killed, Aka-chan!”

“You can’t really be considering it!”

As Tendou’s voice joined the mix, claiming to be able to pick the lock, Akaashi knew he would have to confront his friends.

“Aha!”

Tendou’s voice echoed through the apartment as the door swung open, the three fellow angels barging in. 

“Noya-chan told us everything.” Oikawa said, turning off Akaashi’s television.

Akaashi sighed, turning his attention to the papers in his lap.

“Don’t ignore us, Akaashi-kun.” Tendou warned, pulling the papers out of Akaashi’s hands.

“You can’t really be selfish enough to think this is a good idea.” Kuroo said, leaning against the table next to the couch.

“How is wanting to help my human selfish?” Akaashi asked, refusing to give away any emotion in his voice.

Kuroo ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “You’re doing this for the success. We all know it. You’re doing this for yourself.”

“What are you implying by that, Kuroo-san?” Akaashi asked, grinding his teeth together.

“I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you exactly how selfish you’re being.”

“I want to hel-”

“You could die!”

Akaashi looked Kuroo in the eyes for the first time. “Do you think I’m simply ignoring that fact?”

The room was silent for a while, Akaashi and Kuroo simply glaring at one another.

“Don’t do it.” Kuroo said, turning his gaze to the wall. “There are other ways.”

“No, there aren’t.” Akaashi declared. “I have to do this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to call Suga-san immediately.”

“Aka-chan...” Oikawa croaked out.

“Fine.” Kuroo snapped. “Do what you want. But when you get Konoha killed, I won’t be there for you to cry to.”

Akaashi looked down at the ground, shutting out his surroundings. “Not everyone makes the same mistakes as you.”

The last thing he heard was a door slam.

And then he was alone.

***

“Are you sure you wish to do this?” Suga asked.

Akaashi nodded, taking a seat on the leather chair he had sat on the day before. “Tell me what I need to do.”

Suga sighed, pulling a small envelope from his desk drawer. “This should help you out. There is the address of a friend you can stay with in there, along with a job application and twenty thousand yen to get you started.” Akaashi took the envelope as Suga continued.

“Once you’re on earth, no one from heaven can help you. I hope you know that. You’ll be on your own. We have an angel currently stationed around the same area that you’re heading to, but she needs to return here very soon, should she risk corrupting her soul.

“Don’t get distracted. You’re there for one purpose and one purpose alone.”

“To help Konoha-san.” Akaashi said.

Suga smiled at him, standing up. “Exactly.”

The head angel walked over to a small storage cabinet in the corner of the room, returning with two vials of lilac liquid.

“Save this one for when you wish to return.” Suga instructed, handing one of the vials to Akaashi.

He put the vial into the pocket of his jacket, zipping it for safekeeping.

“And drink this one now. And remember, stay on task.”

Akaashi took the small vial, popping off the small glass top. He gave the liquid a suspicious look, swirling around the light purple mixture. He slowly took a sip, drowsiness immediately hitting him.

“I’ll see you in a couple weeks, Akaashi.” Suga said, as the angel’s world went black.

***

The muffled sound of a river awoke Akaashi. He immediately noticed that his entire body was sore, specifically his stomach. 

He slowly opened his eyes to see the creator of the sound, the river, just a few feet away from him. He cautiously felt around the ground, hands running over soft grass and rough rocks. He propped himself up, looking around more thoroughly at his surroundings.

“Earth...” He muttered, standing up.

There was a small bridge over the shallow ravine where Akaashi found himself. It seemed to be older, barely able to keep itself from falling apart.

The angel crawled out of the ravine, onto the tiny cement road laying next to it. His body felt as though it was being dragged down to the earth by some invisible force, quite the opposite as the floating sensation he was used to.

As he looked around, he noticed that he was in the city. Tall buildings stood to one side of him, as large trees towered over him on his other side.

Various humans were jogging or walking their dogs in the area, a couple giving Akaashi a questioning look. The angel found his way to a bench, mostly hidden from the inhabitants of the park.

He pulled out the envelope he had been given, opening it and peeking at the contents. True to Suga’s word, it contained money and a job application, but a piece of paper with an address written on it was also visible.

He read over the piece of paper multiple times, but was barely able to make sense of it.

“You look confused.” A voice said.

Akaashi looked up to see a tall man with silver hair standing in front of him, giving him an innocent smile. He wore running shoes and workout clothes, his sweat giving away that he was on a jog. His piercing green eyes startled Akaashi, immediately making him weary of the man.

“Um... I’m looking for... this address.” Akaashi said, handing the paper over the man.

He seemed to analyze the paper for a few seconds, before looking back down as Akaashi. 

“I’m useless with directions, but I can ask my friend, if you’d like!”

“Sure, that would be very kind of you.” Akaashi said, bowing slightly to the taller boy.

He pulled out his phone and began tapping away, while continuing to maintain a conversation with Akaashi. “My name is Lev by the way. Haiba Lev.”

“I’m Akaashi Keiji.”

“Nice to meet you, Akaashi!”

It was then that Akaashi saw something above the boy’s head. In dark red letters, it wrote ‘Yaku Morisuke’. Akaashi looked around at the other inhabitants of the park, quickly noting that they had names written over their heads as well.

“Semi!” Lev yelled, as a man walked up to the two.

Akaashi’s suspicions were confirmed as he saw the name ‘Tendou Satori’ written above the new man’s head.

This was Tendou’s beloved ‘SemiSemi’.

The new man also wore workout clothes, though he seemed to be slightly more winded than his taller friend.

“Semi, this is Akaashi. He’s lost.” Lev introduced.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Akaashi said politely, bowing to the gray and black haired man.

“Likewise.” Semi said. “So where are you trying to get to?”

Akaashi handed him the piece of paper as hours of footage of Konoha’s life fast forwarded through his mind. He attempted to recall where he had seen Semi’s face before, somewhere among the twenty years of information he had stored in his brain. Until it hit him.

“Do you play volleyball?” Akaashi suddenly asked, catching the other boy off guard.

“Um, yes. Yes I do.” He said, scratching his neck awkwardly. “I’m the setter of Tokyo University’s team.”

“Is Konoha Akinori on that team as well?” Akaashi asked.

Semi nodded, giving the angel a confused look. “He is. Do you know him?”

“You could say that.” Akaashi sighed, looking back down at the piece of paper.

“So, the address,” Semi began, changing the subject. “It’s quite close actually. Just down that street, a couple blocks, there should be an apartment building.” He said, pointing towards the buildings. 

“Thank you, Semi-san.” Akaashi said, bowing.

Semi chuckled awkwardly, looking over to where Lev was chasing a couple ducks around. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“I’ll see you around then.” Akaashi said, turning away.

“See you.”

Akaashi began off in the general direction of where Semi had indicated, exiting the park and entering the jungle of cars and crosswalks. 

It was nowhere near as crowded as the streets of heaven, but the hoards of people still made it difficult for Akaashi to navigate his way through.

Another thing that differed from the streets of heaven were streets themselves. 

The angels in heaven never attempted to sell Akaashi an obscure brand of toothbrush or illegal substances as he passed. Nor had he ever remembered seeing graffiti or trash on the sidewalks in heaven.

He arrived at what looked to be a large apartment building, comparing the address to that written on the paper from Suga. 

Only half-sure that he was at the right place, Akaashi opened the rusty front door of the brick building, stepping in. He took the staircase up to the second floor, as the paper instructed, and found his way to apartment number twelve.

Before he could even knock, the door swung open, revealing a girl he knew all too well.

“Hana-san?” He asked in slight disbelief.

She looked up at him, her stressed expression turning soft and sincere. “Akaashi! What are you doing here? On earth?”

“Well, I h-”

“Why don’t you come in and tell me about it.” She said, pulling the fellow angel into the neat apartment.

Akaashi sat down on the couch, awkwardly shuffling his feet as Hana began to boil water. It was a nice apartment. The kitchen and living room were connected, with one bedroom and an en suite bath.

“So, what’s up, Akaashi?” She called from the kitchen, preparing tea.

“Well, I came to help my human.” He explained, standing and walking over to the small kitchen.

Hana nodded, placing two cups on the counter. “What’s he been up to?”

“I fear he may begin to get involved with illegal activities if I do not interfere soon. He has proved himself to be quite the problematic human for the past few days, opting to party and drink rather than study or help others.”

“That’s the problem with my human.” Hana sighed, pouring the water. “He chose drugs over school, and I fear it’s too late.”

“Haven’t you been on earth for almost two weeks, Hana-san?” Akaashi asked, giving her a concerned look.

She nodded, handing him a cup. “I’ve already began to feel the pains. I don’t have much time left but... I can’t just leave him.”

“Hana-san, it may be too late for him.” Akaashi said.

“I know that.” She said, a disappointed expression on her face. “It’s just... He’s not a bad guy, really. All he wants is to have fun... He just doesn’t quite know how to do that...”

“Hana-san...”

“That’s enough about me, though!” She said quickly, masking the sorrowful look on her face. “Let’s talk about how you can get in contact with your human!”

“I considered joining the volleyball team that he is on, but I’m afraid that I don’t know much about the sport.” Akaashi explained, taking a sip of his tea.

“We can fix that!” Hana said with a fake smile. “That’s what the internet is for, right?”

“We don’t have the internet in heaven...”

“Maybe not, but we have it here, and two weeks has made me an expert at internet-ing!”

***

“So... you’re a counselor?”

“Of sorts.”

“And... you want to change professions?”

“That is precisely why I applied.”

“To be a barista?”

Akaashi currently sat in the office of the manager of a small coffee shop by the name of ‘Cafe Karas’. The manager was a kind man named Daichi, who seemed confused by Akaashi’s extremely fake job application.

“Is there something wrong with being a barista, Daichi-san?”

“Um no, nothing wrong, per say.” He said, looking from the application to Akaashi. “Just... Wondering why you would want to make espresso after being a shrink.”

“I needed a change of scenery.” Akaashi deadpanned, wishing for the interview to come to an end as soon as possible.

Daichi’s perplexed look remained as he stood up, reaching over his desk to shake Akaashi’s hand. “Then, I guess you’ve got the job. Come in tomorrow at six am.”

“Yes, sir.” Akaashi said, shaking his hand and exiting the room before he could ask any more questions. 

He emerged from the office, caught slightly off guard by the long line by the counter. He darted through the cozy coffee shop, attempting not to be seen. Until a familiar voice caught his attention.

“C’mon, four eyes, it’s on me!”

Akaashi’s attention snapped over to where a large and boisterous man stood in line, a much less excited and skinnier blonde next to him.

“I told you, I don’t want anything.” The blonde with glasses hissed, his attention on his phone.

“Aw, but Tsukki.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Above the head of the loud man, right in front of his gravity-defying grey hair, was a name that Akaashi never wanted to see again.

It was Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsuro’s human.

Half of Akaashi considered blowing up on the guy at that very moment. To rant about the inconveniences he has caused Akaashi’s human, and in turn, Akaashi himself.

But the more logical half took over, telling Akaashi to simply exit the coffee shop and make his way back to the apartment.

As he slipped out of the front door, Hana’s eyes popped up from where she sat on the bench, reading the human newspaper.

“Did you get the job?” She asked, standing up.

Akaashi nodded, sending a wary look back into the coffee shop. “I got it...”

“Great.” She smiled. “Now let’s go get you enrolled in classes.”


	2. II: Jegudiel - Bokuto Sucks At Pickup Lines

Akaashi tried his hardest not chuckle. He truly did. But even a man as stoic as himself had to let out a slight breath of laughter at the sight before him.

Iwaizumi Hajime was an intimidating man, though Akaashi stood a couple centimeters taller himself. He had an aura around him that screamed responsibility, yet the kind and playful smile he gave his teammates and friends made him easier to approach.

But the most entertaining part of Iwaizumi Hajime, at least in Akaashi’s opinion, was the name displayed above his head.

“Akaashi Keiji, is it?” The shorter man asked, scanning over Akaashi’s club application.

“Yes, that’s right.” The angel replied, struggling to maintain his stoic expression.

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at him, cocking his head to the side in slight confusion. “You’ve never played volleyball before? Yet you’re trying out for a university team?”

“Yes, sir.” Akaashi nodded, eyes glued to the red cursive words spelling out ‘Oikawa Toru’.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, returning his attention to the application. “You do realize that this is one of the top university teams in the country, correct? We can’t simply let someone without any experience on the team.”

Akaashi racked his brain for any leverage with the team’s captain. Oikawa simply called his human a stubborn brute most of the time, never offering any actual information he could use.

“How about a manager?” Akaashi asked. “Do you need a manager?”

Iwaizumi let out a small chuckle, looking up at the younger man. “I suppose. Our last manager did quit recently.”

“I would like to formally apply for the manager position.” Akaashi announced, bowing.

“Well, as captain of Tokyo University’s volleyball team, I accept your application. Practice is at two tomorrow. Don’t be late.” Iwaizumi said, giving the new manager a genuine smile.

“Thank you, Iwaizumi-san.”

“Don’t mention it.”

***

Taking espresso orders back to back for hours on end had a sort of peaceful monotony to it. Though business seemed to reach it’s peak at around seven, the entire morning had been exhaustingly busy, hundreds of names, faces, and red cursive font swirling in and out of Akaashi’s mind.

His coworkers were kind, one was unbelievably anxious, the other was smart and efficient. Akaashi had questioned exactly how the former had kept a stressful barista job for two years, the poor boy almost peeing himself in anxiety multiple times throughout the morning rush.

As his shift came to a close, the clock hitting noon, the endless stream of customers had finally calmed down slightly. The anxious boy, Yamaguchi, had left for his break just minutes before another customer walked in.

Akaashi took out a cup immediately as the doorbell chimed, not even bothering to look up. The customer walked up to the counter, letting out a short gasp that Akaashi just ignored.

“Hi, welcome to Cafe Karas.” Akaashi said lazily, spinning the pen in his fingers. “May I get your na-”

“Boyfriend material!”

Akaashi looked up at the customer with a raised eyebrow, almost dropping the cup as he saw who stood there.

Bokuto Kotarou was looking him intently, his golden eyes wide with shock and cheeks red with embarrassment. The troublesome name of Akaashi’s fellow angel remained written above his head, the loopy red cursive giving the part-time barista the urge to throw something.

“Um... My shirt...” Kuroo’s human said in a lower tone. “It’s uh... That’s not how the line goes.” He chuckled.

“Excuse me?” Akaashi asked, unsure of exactly what was happening.

Bokuto scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, before he seemed to snap back to reality.

“Okay, let me try again.” The taller boy announced, looking Akaashi in the eyes. “Are you an angel? Because it must hurt when you trip... wait that’s not it. Dammit!”

“Closer to the mark than you think.” Akaashi chuckled under his breath.

“Gah! I can’t get it right!” Bokuto groaned, grabbing a fistful of his gray and black hair.

Akaashi eyed the man carefully, still slightly confused as to the current situation.

“Okay, how about this one.” Bokuto said, regaining his confidence. “You look tired!”

“That is quite rude.” Akaashi deadpanned, glaring at him.

“Wait no! I mean...” Bokuto babbled, waving his hands around urgently. “From running around with my dreams.. Or.. In them! That’s right! In them!”

Bokuto put his hands on his hips, a proud look on his face.

“That was awful.” 

The boy’s face fell. He looked at the ground, his shoulders slumping in the same direction.

“Would you like to order?” Akaashi asked, unsure on how to read this particular human’s emotions.

“Black coffee.” He mumbled, not looking up.

Akaashi nodded, writing the order on the cup and handing it to his coworker. Yamaguchi ran back behind the counter before the all too familiar customer could strike up another disastrous conversation, relieving Akaashi of his duties.

“I’ve got it from here.” Yamaguchi smiled, tying the black apron on.

“Thank you, Yamaguchi.” Akaashi bowed, discarding his own apron and walking out from behind the counter.

“Wait!” Bokuto called, ignoring Ennoshita’s outstretched hand with the cup of coffee. “Um... what’s your name?” He asked Akaashi.

Akaashi looked between the glass doors, leading to his freedom, and the excitable man standing there, a hopeful look in his eyes.

He sighed, turning to Bokuto. “Akaashi. My name is Akaashi Keiji.”

“Akaashi!” Bokuto said, a wide smile plastered on his face. “That’s a wonderful name. I’m Bokuto!”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said. “Now, I must be going.”

“Bye, Akaashi! I hope I can see you again soon!”

Akaashi chuckled to himself. This man had no idea.

***

Akaashi took a deep breath, his knuckle mere inches away from the door of Tokyo University’s Men’s Volleyball Team gym.

Behind that door were many people he had already met. The eccentric boy from the park and his efficient friend. The intimidating and respectable captain, Iwaizumi. The obnoxious and strangely endearing boy from the coffee shop. And the entire reason for Akaashi’s current predicament, Konoha Akinori.

He prepared to knock on the door, until a loud gasp snatched his attention away. He whipped around to see Lev Haiba with a significantly shorter, orange haired boy by his side.

“Akaashi-san!” Lev exclaimed, running up to him. “What are you doing here, Akaashi-san?”

“Um...” He mumbled, looking up at the taller boy. “I am the new manager.”

“Woah!” The orange haired boy said. “We have a new manager! So cool!”

Akaashi raised on eyebrow at the name written above his head, inwardly chuckling as he pictured Kageyama Tobio dealing with this excitable boy.

“Really?” Lev gasped. “In that case, let’s go, Akaashi-san!”

They gray haired boy grabbed his wrist, dragging him into the gym. The orange haired boy, Hinata if he remembered from Kuroo’s rants, trailing behind them.

Inside the gym, Iwaizumi was setting the net up with Tendou’s human. The crabby blonde with the glasses from the day before was stretching alone in the corner, an annoying look covering his face as the trio entered.

“Ah, Akaashi.” Iwaizumi greeting, approaching the new manager.

Semi walked up to them as well, a perplexed look on his face. “Akaashi? From the park?”

Akaashi nodded politely. “Nice to see you again, Semi-san.”

“You too.”

“Where’s Bokuto, Konoha, and Daishou?” Iwaizumi asked Hinata, keeping the ball of energy from barreling into the net.

“I haven’t seen them.” Hinata said, tilting his head to the side. “I assumed they were here.”

“This isn’t new for Daishou, but Bokuto and Konoha never miss practice.” Iwaizumi sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Konoha-san’s been missing a lot more lately.” The blonde in the corner sneered, joining the small group.

Akaashi didn’t recognize the name over his head in the slightest. Tsukishima Akiteru. For this angel’s human to be on the same team as Akaashi’s own, it was an odd occurrence for them to have never met.

The door of the gym slammed open, a cheerful looking Bokuto standing with a tired Konoha by his side in the doorway.

“Hey, hey, hey! Hope we didn’t miss to much!” He exclaimed with a large smile.

A shiver went through Akaashi’s body as he saw Konoha. For an angel, physically meeting their human was a rare occurrence. 

“You’re late.” Iwaizumi growled, glaring at the two.

“I’m sorry!” Bokuto yelled, “We were doing something and we lost tr- It’s the beautiful man from the coffee shop!”

Akaashi’s eyes widened as Bokuto pointed directly at his face.

“The who?” Konoha asked in confusion.

“The pretty boy from the coffee shop!” Bokuto repeated with even more enthusiasm.

“Bokuto, this is our new manager, Akaashi.” Iwaizumi introduced, ignoring the boy’s outburst.

“Aggaashi!” Bokuto yelled, with us as much shock. “It’s me! Bokuto! Boyfriend material!”

“Hello, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said politely.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, lightly smacking Bokuto behind the head. “Get to practice you fool.”

“But!”

“Not buts.”

“Whatever.” He snapped.

Bokuto sulked over to where Lev and Hinata were stretching, joining the two younger boys with much less enthusiasm.

Iwaizumi sighed, rubbing his temples. Akaashi could easily imagine Oikawa flipping through a magazine or playing with his hair back up in heaven rather than keeping an eye on the poor man’s emotions.

“Konoha... Can you nip this in the bud?” Iwaizumi asked, looking up at the blonde.

Akaashi felt a wave of responsibility from his human, giving him a pinch of hope for his future.

“Sure thing.” Konoha said lazily, walking over to the dejected boy.

“Does that happen often?” Akaashi asked the captain as soon as Konoha was out of hearing range.

Iwaizumi and Semi nodded in sync, both with exhausted looks on their faces. Further proof that Akaashi’s coworkers were incompetent.

“The only one that can get him out of his funk is Konoha.” Semi sighed.

Iwaizumi crossed his arms, looking over to where Bokuto sat on the floor with a grumpy pout on his face. “I just don’t know how to deal with him. He’s my vice captain and I don’t understand him in the slightest.”

“No one here can read him.” Semi added. “Konoha can only help half the time.”

“And he’s the ace.” Iwaizumi continued. “When this happens in games, the entire team gets mixed up.”

“Sounds problematic.” Akaashi noted.

Iwaizumi nodded, quickly regaining his composure. “So, new manager, we’ll show you the ropes.”

***

Halfway through the practice, Iwaizumi had sent Bokuto to sit in the corner until he calmed down. Akaashi, his clipboard in one hand and pen in the other, had felt the ace’s watchful eyes from across the room.

As he continued to record the success rate of Semi and Iwaizumi’s new spike, Konoha approached him.

Akaashi felt waves of curiosity and mischief rolling off of his human, causing the angel to stiffen slightly. His own name glimmered in a lovely cursive font right above the blonde’s head.

“So you’re new?” The blonde asked, lazily leaning against the wall.

Akaashi nodded, “That is correct.”

“I’ve never seen you in classes before.”

“I will begin classes after summer break.”

Konoha seemed to accept that answer, turning his gaze to the captain and setter.

Akaashi panicked slightly, at a loss of what to say. Now was finally his chance to talk with his human, and he had no clue what to do. He considered asking the man to help him study for classes, but he didn’t want to come off as too forward and scare him away.

“Ya know,” Konoha began, the angel sighing in relief as the other began a conversation. “A friend of mine is throwing a party tomorrow, if you’re interested.”

Akaashi’s immediate thought was to deny, but his senses took over.

“Sure...” Akaashi nodded quietly, taking advantage of the opportunity.

Konoha smiled slightly, “Awesome. Gimme your number, I’ll text you the address.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have a phone.” Akaashi said, monotone.

Konoha raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Oh really? Here, I’ll jot it down for you.” He said, scribbling a few numbers and a street name on Akaashi’s clipboard. “You should really get a phone though.”

“Alright. I’ll look into that.” 

“Aggaashi! Watch out!”

As the call of his (mispronounced) name echoed throughout the gym, Akaashi’s head snapped up from his discussion with Konoha, to see a stray volleyball heading in his general direction at an alarming speed.

His body instinctively tossed the clipboard aside. He lifted his arms above his head, his earthly body seeming to move without his mind’s permission.

He could barely hear Konoha’s voice as the ball came in contact with his hands. He tossed it across the gym, right to where Iwaizumi watched him with a shocked face.

It landed on the floor, the eyes of the entire team on Akaashi. The angel himself had a confused look on his face, looking at the palms of his hands.

“Aggaaaashi!” Bokuto yelled out, running up to Akaashi, “Akaashi that was amazing!”

“Are you alright, Akaashi-kun?” Semi asked, a concerned look on his face.

Akaashi nodded, sitting back down in shock. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Semi-san.”

Iwaizumi pushed a sparkling-eyed Bokuto out of the way to approach Akaashi.

“Those were awfully quick reflexes.” Iwaizumi smiled. “You sure you've never played volleyball before?”

Akaashi shook his head. “I don't think so...”

“I think you'd remember if you were a volleyball player.” Konoha snickered.

“You have the calloused hands of a setter.” Semi commented, eyes on the angel’s hands.

The gray haired setter gingerly took hold of Akaashi’s right hand, observing his fingers and palms. Bokuto stood right behind him, peering over Semi’s shoulder with wide eyes.

“Have you ever played any sports before?” Semi asked.

“I don’t think so.”

“What, you suffering from amnesia or something?” Konoha teased, leaning against the wall, uninterested.

“Possibly...” Akaashi mumbled. “Possibly....”

***

“Angels aren't supposed to have any memory of their past life though.” Hana sighed.

“And I don't.” Akaashi whispered, handing her a cup of coffee from behind the counter of Cafe Karas. “I'm just... curious.”

“You can't be curious.” She said, pulling out her wallet. “There's no way for you to get information on your past life. If you did, you'd ruin the entire point of being on earth.”

“I know... but it wouldn't hurt to just find out if I was a volleyball pla-”

“Yes, it would.” The fellow angel hissed. “You could ruin everything. The entire system. This is already a rare occurrence, an angel on earth, but an angel learning about their past life? Don't be ridiculous.”

“I don-”

“You could end up doing something drastic. Like Kuroo.”

Akaashi stiffened as she stuffed a few yen in the tip jar.

Hana sighed, leaning against the counter. “You know that he’ll never forgive himself for what he did. Don't make the same mistake that he did.”

“It's different.”

“It's not.” She snapped. “He was selfish, and his actions caused more pain and suffering than you could ever imagine.”

Akaashi just scoffed, turning away. “I won't make the same mistakes that he did.”

“Good.” She said, standing up straight. “Now, I’ve got a frat boy to talk out of skateboarding off a roof or something. I'll see you later.”

“Bye, Hana-san.”

Akaashi sighed, turning around. He was slightly shocked to see Ennoshita standing behind him, a smirk on his tired face and his eyebrow raised accusingly.

“Erm... Ennoshita-san...” Akaashi mumbled.

“Save it. I heard it all.” He said, holding his hands in front of him. 

Akaashi cocked his head to the side in confusion. “What did you hear exactly?”

“You have a girlfriend!” Ennoshita accused, Yamaguchi popping out from behind the espresso machine with an amused grin.

Akaashi cracked a microscopic smile, inwardly chuckling at himself for expecting Ennoshita to have figured out his secret.

“Ennoshita-san, I believe you are mistaken.” Akaashi said.

His coworkers face fell slightly at the disappointment of being wrong. “Really? That wasn’t your girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend?!”

Akaashi looked behind himself to see Bokuto at the counter, his eyes wide and a look of shock sketched onto his face. 

“Aggaashi!” He yelled, leaning over the counter. “You can’t have a girlfriend!”

“And why is that, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked.

“Because you’re supposed to date me!”

The metaphorical water in Akaashi’s mouth was metaphorically projectile spat all over the man in front of him. 

The angel could feel the eyes of his co workers trained on him as they hid behind racks of baked goods.

“Bokuto-san, what makes you say that?” He asked calmly, though his stomach was doing uncharacteristic backflips.

“Because you’re so pretty!” He yelled, gaining the attention of a few cafe patrons. “You’re like an angel!”

The metaphorical water was back.

“I had a dream last night after practice, Agaashiii!” He continued animatedly. “I had a dream that I fell in love with the prettiest angel... He reminded me of you! But... You don’t have wings...”

Akaashi could feel his palms begin to sweat, and his head begin to spin. 

He slowly back away from the counter, turning to Ennoshita.

“I... I have to go.” He said, throwing off his apron and bolting out of the cafe.

Bokuto looked after him with a confused expression. He turned to the two co workers, who had a matching perplexed look.

The ace cocked his head to the side. “Did I say something wrong?”

***

“He’s not supposed to know... He’s not supposed to know... How does he know?”

“It was just a dream, Akaashi. And stop pacing.”

“He knew though. His subconscious knew. But how?”

“He doesn’t know anything.”

Akaashi continued to pace back and forward in the small apartment, words falling out of his mouth to an exhausted Hana.

“As long as he doesn’t know, you’ll be fine.” Hana continued, her discount cup of noodles in hand.

“And he said something about... about dating me?” Akaashi continued, running his hands through his hair.

Hana dropped her chopsticks at this comment. “Dating you? That’s adorable!”

“It’s simply a distraction.” Akaashi scoffed, sitting down. “I need to stay focused on Konoha-san.”

“Okay, but he’s cute, right?”

Akaashi thought carefully. “Perhaps. He is quite attractive for a huma- What am I thinking? He’s nothing but a distraction.”

“It’s not uncommon for angel to develop feelings for their humans.” Hana giggled lightly. “But I’ve never heard of a case of an angel falling for a human that is not his own.”

“I’m not falling for him.” Akaashi defended. “I’m simply pointing out a fact about this obstacle that stands in my way.”

Hana gave him a teasing smirk. “You know, if you break his heart, that will make Kuroo’s job much harder than it needs to be.”

“He hasn’t even known me for two days, I doubt that I will break his heart.”

“Just be careful.” She smiled, standing up. “You don’t wanna make the poor guy suffer.”

“He’ll be just fine.” Akaashi sighed, glaring at the ground.

“Whatever you say.” She said, dropping her noodle cup into the trash can. “You know, a frie- Ah!”

Akaashi looked up to see Hana on the floor, clutching at her leg. She let out a loud scream of pain, no doubt capturing the attention of the neighbors.

“Hana-san!”

Akaashi ran over to where she laid, tears in her eyes. Her leg was twisted in a strange fashion, but it didn’t look broken to the angel.

“Hana-san, is it...?”

She continued screaming in pain, her volume getting lower and lower. Her screams slowly turned into a light sob of pain as she continued to clutch her leg.

“Akaashi...” She choked out between sobs. “I need to go home soon...”

“Hana-san, where’s the potion Suga-san gave you?”

“Not yet.” She hissed, in a mixture of pain and determination.

“You’re going to reach your limit soon...” He said.

“I have at least a few hours left.” She breathed out, regaining some of her composure. “I still have some time...”

“Hana-san...”

She sighed, laying on her back. “I figured out a couple days ago that I originally died of a car crash.” She began. “Sometimes the pain just hits me without warning.”

“That’s dangerous, Hana-san. You need to get back to h-”

“That’s the worst it’s ever been. But I know, I know that I can survive for just a little while longer. Terushima needs me.”

Akaashi sighed, but he nodded in understanding. He grabbed Hana’s hand, helping to steady the fellow angel back on her feet.

“I understand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chap 2! Constructive criticism is much appreciated! <3


	3. III: Abaddon - Attempting to Woo

“Hana-san, I am really not accustomed to how humans socialize quite yet, I don’t know if I-”

“You’ll be fine!” Hana said, giving Akaashi an encouraging pat on the back.

The two stood outside a large house, the address Konoha had given him. Loud music was blaring from inside, accompanied by the shrieks of excitement from drunk university students. A few of the mentioned students sat on the grass outside, red solo cups in hand and obscene language falling from their intoxicated mouths.

“Please, Hana-san...”

“Just look for Konoha and you’ll be fine!” Hana reasoned, dragging an unwilling Akaashi into the house.

Akaashi, not giving much resistance, simply sighed. “It’s not that that worries me. It is socializing without you to accompany me.”

“I have to keep an eye on Terushima.” Hana reasoned, pushing open the door.

“Ther- Excuse you...” Akaashi scoffed as a particularly rude partygoer shoved passed him.

Once he entered the house, all his senses seemed to be heightened. As an angel, he was not around forms of debauchery or immorality often.

As the sight of young adults partaking in illegal activities hit him, he began to feel overwhelmed.

“Oh, not already...” Hana sighed, indicating to Terushima straddling a brunette boy on the couch.

As the boy’s hand slipped into the back of Terushima’s jeans, Akaashi quickly looked away. However, Hana stomped right up to the two, demanding them to ‘get a room’.

Akaashi let out a small hiss as he spared another look, only to see the name above the brunette’s head. Kuguri Naoyasu was written in the familiar cursive, contrasting the Hana Misaki written above Terushima’s.

“If that’s Kuguri’s human than...” Akaashi mumbled. “Then that’s D-”

“Daishou!” Akaashi looked up to see Lev approaching the two on the couch. The tall boy pushed passed Hana as he plopped onto the couch.

“S’up, skyscraper.” Daishou mumbled, his face stuffed in Terushima’s neck.

“Daishou, don’t you have a girlfriend?” Hana scolded, crossing her arms.

“Did.” He mumbled again. “I dumped her.”

“She broke up with you.” Terushima teased, a smirk on his face.

“Is that why you haven’t been to practice?” Lev asked.

“More or less...”

The four continued to converse, Akaashi quickly feeling awkward. His attention turned to the large kitchen, more interested in the snacks on the dining table rather than the mountains of booze on the island.

As he began to look through the assortment of chips, a light body ran into him, yelling his name.

“Akaashi! I’m so sorry!”

The angel looked behind him, the potato chip in his mouth falling out as a flustered looking Yamaguchi bowed.

“Yamaguchi?” He asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Well..” He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as a blush appeared on his cheeks. “Tsukki asked me to come...”

“Tsukki?”

“Tsukishima.” The brunette elaborated. “My boyfriend. Well, he didn’t ask me to come... His teammate forced him to come so I offered to accompany him... But I may have lost him... You’d think I wouldn’t, he’s so tall, he’s one hund- Oh I’m rambling, sorry...”

Akaashi just nodded, listening intently to his coworker’s explanation. “I happen to be looking for someone as well. How about we look together?”

Yamaguchi just offered him a smile and a nod, leading him to the back yard.

“Last I saw Tsukki, Konoha-san and Futakuchi-san dragged him away... That frightens me. They don’t have the best reputation... Especially Futakuchi-san...”

“The best reputation?” Akaashi inquired, dodging dripping wet students wandering around the pool.

Yamaguchi nodded, scanning the crowd. “He got busted a few months ago for drug possession.”

Akaashi sighed, scared for Konoha.

“He’s not as bad as Terushima-san though.” Yamaguchi continued. “There’s a rumor that he’s been arrested before.”

Akaashi whispered a quick prayer for Hana.

“Bokuto-san is a little wild as well.” Yamaguchi said. “But he’s never gotten into anything illegal.”

“Really?” Akaashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s true.” Yamaguchi nodded. “The worst he gets is a couple drinks or a harmless prank on Tsukki.”

“Aggggaaaashhhi!”

“Speak of the devil.” Yamaguchi giggled as a certain gray haired volleyball player ran out of the house.

“Agaashi!” Bokuto whined, wrapping his arms around Akaashi. “Four eyes and Konoha are with the evil turtle...”

“Evil turtle?” The angel asked, attempting to escape his embrace.

“Futakuchi!” Bokuto exclaimed, the name of the ‘stupid turtle’ sounding more like alphabet soup from the human’s mouth.

“What exactly are they doing?” Akaashi asked.

“Futakuchi was being a bad influence...” Bokuto pouted. “But I stopped them!” He said, putting his fists on his hips triumphantly.

“Where are they now?” Yamaguchi asked.

Bokuto just shrugged, leaning back onto Akaashi. “Dunno...”

“Alright, I’m going to go look for Tsukki!” Yamaguchi said, bidding the two farewell.

“Bokuto-san, would you mind getting off of me?” Akaashi asked politely.

Bokuto shot up, grabbing Akaashi’s hand.

“I have to show you something!” He yelled, beginning to tug him back in the direction of the house.

“Bokuto-san, what are you doing?”

“Wooing you!”

“Bokuto-san, I don’t have time for this. I ne-”

Bokuto simply picked him up, throwing the lighter boy over his shoulder.

“Bokuto-san! Let me down this instance!” Akaashi hissed, trying to wiggle his way out of Bokuto's strong hold.

“No can do.” Bokuto sang. I'm 

The larger boy skipped into the living room, ignoring Akaashi’s protests and demands to be put down. As Bokuto shouted something unintelligible at a man across the room, the angel continued to squirm in his (attractively) strong arms.

“Bokuto-san, I demand to be le-”

“Okay!”

Bokuto plopped Akaashi down, grabbing his hands in his own as the song blaring through the speakers changed from an upbeat techno song to something with more of a melody.

“Bokuto-san, what are you doing?” Akaashi asked, as Bokuto forcefully twirled the shorter boy around.

“Aggggaaashi! I told you!” He whined, continuing to spin the poor angel until he was too dizzy to see straight. “I’m wooing you!”

“This seems awfully unnecessary.” Akaashi reasoned, bringing the spin to a halt.

“It’s romantic!”

“It’s slightly ridiculous.”

“Agggaashi!” Bokuto wrapped his arm around Akaashi’s waist, dipping him down, and pulling him back up with ease. “Let me woo you!”

“I do not wish to be wooed.” Akaashi stated, his face mere centimeters from the taller boy’s.

“Don’t be so negative!”

“Bokuto-san...”

Bokuto just whined, pulling Akaashi in for a hug and tucking his face into his neck. He mumbled something that Akaashi couldn’t hear over the loud ringing of the music. The energetic beat of the song flowing thoughout the room as the singer asked the subject of the song if they could metaphorically dance.

“Maybe you should head home.” Akaashi sighed, pushing Bokuto back up.

The boy groaned, refusing to let go of his completely. “I don’t wanna go home...”

“You have practice tomorrow.” Akaashi said.

“So do you!” Bokuto rebutted, bringing Akaashi in for another hug. “If you go home, then I’ll go home.”

“That’s fair enough, I suppose.”

“I wasn’t being serious! You can’t leave yet! I haven’t finished wooing you yet!” He defended.

“Too late. Go home and get some sleep, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto pouted, reluctantly letting go. “Fine...”

***

The next day at practice, Akaashi could tell that the majority of the team was dealing with the after-effects from the night before.

As an angel, Akaashi wasn’t as susceptible to the fatigue that humans felt so easily. Bokuto was also quite energetic, the man’s stamina being endless. Iwaizumi was in top form as well, having skipped the party the night before in favor of sleeping. Hinata was also fine, jumping around the room with Bokuto.

Konoha, Semi, and Daishou sat in the corner of the gym, nursing headaches and running to the bathroom every few minutes to throw up. Tsukishima and Lev were both exhausted, the latter being the only one with enough energy to even stand.

“I told you all to skip the party last night.” Iwaizumi scolded, dragging the three in the corner onto the court. “Don’t think you’re gonna get out of practice because of this.”

“That’s right!” Bokuto cheered, chuckling loudly to himself. “Be more like me! Your responsible vice captain!”

“You were at the party too.” Konoha groaned, beginning to stretch. 

Daishou nodded, a wicked smirk on his face. “That’s right. And trying to get into Akaashi’s pants.”

Akaashi’s cheeks turned a violent red as Bokuto screamed that it ‘wasn’t like that!’. 

“You’re not one to talk, Daishou-san.” Lev said. “You and T-”

“Shut up!” Daishou screeched.

Iwaizumi smacked the back of his head. “Get to practice!”

Akaashi diligently helped to pass out water bottles and aspirin as the boys practiced, occasionally taking notes of one thing or another.

He pulled a secondary notebook from his bag, opening to the first page. He clicked his pencil a few times, eyeing Bokuto with a studious intention.

‘Weakness #1:’ Akaashi wrote in the notebook. He looked up to see Bokuto pouting after a blocked spike, Lev attempting to cheer the ace up.

‘Mood swings.’

Akaashi took notes on the loud boy, studying how to recognize, fix, and completely avoid each weakness he found. He had gotten five written down, before the subject of his writing called his name.

He looked up to see Bokuto jumping up and down, waving at Akaashi.

“Akaashi!” He exclaimed. “Did you see that? Did you see what I just did?!”

“I apologize, Bokuto-san, I missed it.” Akaashi said, hiding his amusement.

Bokuto pouted, returning to practice.

‘Weakness #6: He loves to show off.’

Practice continued, Akaashi switching from the community notebook, to the one solely focused on Bokuto’s weaknesses. Just as Akaashi began to write another finding, his attention was caught yet again.

“Akaashi! Help!” Bokuto yelled.

Akaashi’s head snapped up to see the majority of the team surrounding something. He shot up, throwing the notebooks to the side and rushing to the group.

“Semi-san? Semi-san, are you alive?!” Lev yelled, grabbing the setter’s shoulder. 

Akaashi wedged himself between two of the team members, inspecting Semi.

He laid on the floor, clutching at his knee in pain. The kneecap was swollen, a light purple bruise beginning to form. His face was contorted in pain, his body violently shaking from head to toe.

“Dammit, Tendou-san...” Akaashi hissed under his breath.

“I’ll drive him to the hospital.” Iwaizumi announced, lifting the setter up with Tsukishima’s help.

Akaashi helped to sling one of his arms around his own shoulders, turning to Iwaizumi. “I’ll help you, Iwaizumi-san.”

Iwaizumi just gave him a curt nod, resting Semi’s other arm over his own shoulders.

“I’m fine.” Semi hissed, finally able to speak. “I just need some Advil and ah-”

“We’re taking you to the hospital.” Iwaizumi deadpanned. “Let’s go.”

***

“You wanna come over tomorrow? I can help you catch up on homework.” Ennoshita offered a tense Akaashi.

Throughout his entire shift, Akaashi had been extremely quiet, even shut off from speaking with his co workers. 

Ennoshita had been trying to lighten his mood throughout the day, with friendly words of encouragement and offers to hang out.

Akaashi politely declined each of his offers, keeping within his own thoughts and worries.

After Iwaizumi had brought Semi to the hospital, Akaashi had left for work. The distraction of Semi’s incident was too much for the angel, making his job much more complicated than originally planned.

“Thank you for the offer, Ennoshita-san, but I’ll have to decline.” Akaashi said, a blank look on his face.

“Oh, it’s fine!” Ennoshita reassured. “But if you ever need help, you can talk to me!”

“That’s very kind of you.”

Ennoshita just gave him a soft smile before retreating to the kitchen.

The empty shop seemed to cause Akaashi’s thoughts to spiral more into confusion. His situation was much more complicated than it needed to be, Semi’s injury bound to put the rest of the team into a state of panic.

As Akaashi ran theories of possible outcomes in his mind, a finger snapped in front of him to capture his attention.

Akaashi’s eyes began to focus on the figure in front of him. Iwaizumi stood there, a stressed look on his face.

“Iwaizumi-san...” Akaashi began, standing up straight. “How's Semi-san?”

“He’s alive.” Iwaizumi chuckled half heartedly. “But... he’s not doing too well....”

“Is his knee alright?”

Iwaizumi leaned onto the counter, his gaze dropping. “The doctor said he should stay away from physical activity for a few months.”

“Months?” Akaashi echoed.

“We don't have a backup setter.” Iwaizumi hissed, failing at keeping his frustration bottled. “The first game is soon and... we don’t...”

“Iwaizumi-san, there has to be a way to fix the situation.” Akaashi reassured, thinking logically. “There must be another setter in the school, or a player talented enough to take over the position.”

“Can you do it?” Iwaizumi asked, looking up. “Could you be our replacement setter?”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, looking at Iwaizumi with a wary stare. “Are you sure?”

“No, not really.” Iwaizumi admitted. “But... you showed skill the other day, and I'm willing to risk it.”

“I don’t have any experience, I really don’t think this is the best idea, Iwaizumi-san.”

“You can practice with Bokuto.” Iwaizumi reasoned, standing up straight. “As long as you can toss to the ace, we’ll be fine. We have Konoha, who can fill in any holes, and I can help too...”

“Perhaps, I could try.” Akaashi said, unsure.

“Thank you, Akaashi.” Iwaizumi sighed. “I don't know what to do...”

“That’s quite alright, Iwaizumi-san. You don't always need to know what to do.”

***

Having Bokuto follow him around the gym during warmup was half exhausting and half endearing to Akaashi. The vice captain would constantly ask him if he was feeling light headed or if he needed a break. 

Though having a water bottle thrust into his face every few minutes was troublesome, Akaashi couldn’t help but find the boy’s concern charming.

As the warmup and general conditioning ended, Iwaizumi instructed Akaashi to work with Bokuto, to sharpen his skills as a setter. 

“You’ll do great, Aggaashhi!” Bokuto exclaimed, overjoyed at practicing one on one with the angel.

“Perhaps...” Akaashi mumbled.

“Let’s go!”

Their first few attempts at syncing were unsuccessful, but with Bokuto encouraging him with every toss, Akaashi couldn’t help but continue on. 

However, that did not last long. Bokuto’s mood began to plummet as his first weakness began to show.

“Bokuto-san, I think we should take a break.” Akaashi suggested, putting the ball away.

Bokuto just groaned in frustration, crossing his arms.

“This isn’t going to wor-”

“It’ll work!” Bokuto snapped. “It’s gotta work, let’s try again.”

“Of course, Bokuto-san. We’ll work until we get it right.”

“It’ll work.” He hissed, frustrated determination etched onto his face.

The taller boy was practically twitching in frustration, seemingly on the verge of a breakdown.

“Kuroo-san seriously sucks at his job.” Akaashi mumbled, half amused, half stressed.

“Agaashi!” Bokuto called, itching to spike again.

The angel sighed, walking up to the taller boy. He put his hands on each of his shoulders, looking straight into his wide and curious eyes.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said in a stern, yet calming, tone, “Don't lose focus.”

A flush of red traveled across Bokuto’s cheeks, spreading up to the tips of his ears. 

Akaashi had to stifle a small chuckle at the sight.

“Got it?” Akaashi asked quietly, a hint of a smile on his face.

Bokuto nodded fervishly, saluting the other boy. “Understood!”

“Great. Now let’s return to practice.” Akaashi said, walking over to where the ball laid on the floor. After quickly considering the pros and cons of doing so, the angel looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Bokuto. “By the way,” Akaashi began. “Your blush is adorable.”

“Aggaashi!”

***

“You surely enjoy dangerous activities, Kuroo-kun.”

“What can I say, I’m a man of adventure.” The black haired angel smirked, leaning back in the leather chair. “So, what do ya say, Suga-san?”

“It’s not as though it’s never happened before.” The head angel reasoned. “But no angel of mine has ever wanted to do this. What are your reasons, exactly?”

“Maybe it’s because I owe it to Akaashi. I am known to give him a hard time.” Kuroo chuckled carelessly.

Suga let out a small laugh with him. “You care a lot more than you give on. It’s quite entertaining, really.”

“What makes you say that?”

The gray haired angel rested his chin on his hands, giving his underling an amused look. “You’re doing this for both of them, aren’t you. I have noticed the few added emotions in Bokuto-kun’s files.”

“I can’t help that my human has quickly become infatuated with him. He’s always been rash with his feelings.” Kuroo sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “But he’s not a bad guy.”

“And you predict that this plan of yours will help him?” Suga inquired.

“Maybe not help him...” Kuroo pondered. “Maybe just-”

“Our main priority is that of the human’s well being.” Suga began, taking on a more authoritative tone. “If you cannot give me a reason that relates to Bokuto-san or Konoha-san’s well being, than I cannot accept your request.”

“This does pertain to the human's well being.” Kuroo stated, fixing his posture. “For both Bokuto and Konoha.”

“Do explain.”

Kuroo looked around the room at a slight loss. Until an idea hit him. He turned to stare Suga straight in the eyes, a mischievous smirk on etched onto his face. “Well, Suga-san. I’m glad that you’re so eager to find out what I have planned.”

***

“So I’m assuming volleyball didn’t go too well today.”

Akaashi opened his eyes to see Hana, leaning over where he laid on the couch.

“You assume correctly.” He sighed.

Hana laughed slightly, sitting on the armrest. “So you’re going to sulk around like you do in heaven when work doesn’t go your way?”

“I don’t sulk.”

“Oikawa says you have a sulking cave.” She teased.

“He’s a pain in the ass.” Akaashi mumbled.

“Someone’s in a bad mood.”

Akaashi sat up, looking over to Hana. “Yes, you could say that.”

“Don’t fret. Remember, you can’t get distracted.” Hana reminded.

“That’s true... I’m acting like a clueless junior angel.” Akaashi sighed.

“You are a junior angel.” Hana giggled, standing up. “Don’t think that you have to act like us experienced seniors yet, okay?”

“There’s more expect-”

“Yes, there’s more expected of you, but don’t think you’ve gotta be the best in the building right off the bat.” She said, pulling an ice pack out of the freezer. “Now, stay focused on the target. Don’t get carried away with your new position.”

“Okay, Hana-san.”

“Good.” She replied stiffly, wincing as she placed the cold packet onto her knee.

Akaashi spared a single glance at the senior angel as she bit her lip in pain.

“Hana-san, are you alright?” He asked.

Hana nodded, “I think I need to head back to heaven.”

Akaashi looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. “Will Terushima be alright?”

“I think so.” She sighed. “I guess we’ll see. I don’t want to leave yet...”

“I understand your reluctance, but I’ll keep an eye on him.” Akaashi assured, standing up.

Hana pulled him in for a hug. “Thank you, Akaashi. And good luck with Konoha.”

“Thank you, Hana-san. When will you be leaving?.”

She let go, nodding, a single tear falling from her eye. “Maybe once you fall asleep.”

“That would be wise.” Akaashi noted.

A knocking on the door interrupted their conversation.

Slightly confused as to who it could be, Akaashi approached the door cautiously. Gingerly placing his hand on the doorknob, he listened for any noise he could hear on the other side. He turned the knob just slightly, barely enough to even open the door, when it slammed open, knocking Akaashi to the floor.

Six feet above him stood a black haired boy with a mischievous smirk, looking down at a disheveled Akaashi.

“So,” Kuroo chuckled. “Miss me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3 I had to make my poor beta go over that last scene like 700 times yikes... but shoutout to my gr8 beta!!


	4. IV: Gabriel - Mini Donut Shopping Spree

“I really do appreciate you coming over to help, Ennoshita-san.”

“No biggie.” The brunette smiled. “Now, how about we move onto history homework.”

Akaashi had invited his co worker, and possible friend, over to do homework; partly a way to study, partly a way to apologize for his mood from the day before. They currently sat on the floor of Akaashi’s apartment, the guest pulling mythology textbooks out of the backpack he had brought.

“Mythology?” Akaashi inquired, leaning over to inspect the cover of one of the textbooks.

Ennoshita nodded, flipping to a certain page. “That’s right. It’s actually quite interesting.”

Akaashi peered over his shoulder at the page he turned to, the large word in bold writing causing him to choke on his own breath.

“We’re starting the chapter on angels.” Ennoshita said, pulling out a notebook.

Oh, the irony.

“That’s... a great topic.” Akaashi mumbled out.

“There are so many interesting theories about angels out there.” Ennoshita said, pointing at a picture in the corner of the page. “That’s Anael, who loved a human so much that she came to earth to be with him.”

“Oh really?” Akaashi chuckled lightly.

“Urban legend says that angels can come to earth to help humans.” Ennoshita continued, eyes glued to the text in the book. “Do you believe in angels, Akaashi?”

Akaashi bit his lip awkwardly. “I suppose...”

Ennoshita chuckled. “I don’t really. It’d be nice to have one of those guardian angels people talk about though. They’d probably be stressed out with me though.”

Though Akaashi didn’t quite recognize the name written above his co worker’s head, he was sure that Ennoshita was a very easy human to deal with.

“I doubt that.” Akaashi reassured.

Ennoshita just let out a small breath of laughter, turning the page. “According to this one theorist, guardian angels come to earth to help humans who have gone astray, but they’ll die if they cannot help return their human to the light.”

“I’m sure it’s tough to adjust to human bodies.” Akaashi remarked offhandedly, opening his own textbook.

“Probably... So the homework is pretty simple.” Ennoshita said, continuing onto an explanation of what was due by the time school started back up.

Akaashi listened halfheartedly, his attention mostly on the textbook. It truly did interest him how humans viewed his kind. It interested him how Bokuto viewed his kind.

“Honey, I’m home!”

The door of the apartment swung open loudly, Akaashi’s new roommate standing in it’s place. Akaashi just sighed, his gaze landing on the many plastic bags Kuroo was carrying.

“What did you buy with my money this time.” Akaashi said, walking over to inspect the bags.

Kuroo smirked, placing the bags onto the kitchen counter. “Mini donuts and salted mackerel.”

Akaashi just sent the taller boy a deadly look, turning to Ennoshita.

“Ennoshita-san,” Akaashi began. “You may want to leave unless you wish to testify in a murder trial.”

***

Akaashi stared at his own name in complete and utter shock. Perhaps he was dreaming? Hallucinating? He could possibly be going blind.

He rubbed at his eyes, readjusting his vision in the bright gym. His name still stood, in it’s bright red font, in the one place where it shouldn’t have been.

Over Bokuto Kotarou’s head.

As his vision snapped over to where Konoha was stretching, his suspicions were confirmed.

With Kuroo’s name over Konoha’s head, and his own over Bokuto’s, there was only one explanation.

“Kuroo-san....” Akaashi cursed under his breath, ignoring the questioning gaze of Bokuto.

The waves of emotions that poured from Bokuto were stronger and more often than what Akaashi had grown used to with Konoha.

He could imagine Kuroo’s smug face at this very moment, giving a snicker at Akaashi’s shocked state.

“Aggaashi!”

As feelings of concern, nervousness, and joy hit him, so did Bokuto. The taller male grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him over to the side of court where they had practiced the previous day.

“Good afternoon, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said, feeling slightly dizzy at the multitude of emotions he felt from the human.

Bokuto gave him a wide smile. “We’re gonna sync perfectly today, okay?”

Determination and admiration were quickly thrown into the blender of second hand emotions Akaashi was feeling, offering the angel nothing but a light head and larger stress load. He would certainly make Kuroo pay for this.

“Yes, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi agreed weakly.

This would be a long practice, Akaashi feared.

***

Akaashi had rehearsed exactly what he would say to Kuroo at least a dozen times over in his head. He walked, or as Oikawa would say, sulked, down the sidewalk, the apartment building coming into sight.

“I’m sick of your meddlesome nature and your mini donut shopping spree is the only useful thing you’ve done in your life.” Akaashi muttered under his breath.

The building grew closer and closer, synonyms and antonyms he could use to add more intimidation to his speech drifting through his mind.

“You’re obnoxious and exhausting and have no respect for personal space.” He continued to hiss. “Pain in the ass Kuroo-san.” He cursed, opening the front door of the apartment building.

A short old lady gave the mumbling, grumbling Akaashi a concerned look as they passed in the staircase, the angel continuing his rehearsal.

“The fact that you switched our humans without my permission is simply disrespectful.” He continued quietly, walking (sulking) down the hallway where his apartment remained.

As he approached the door, he turned away, walking back down the hall.

“Not only disrespectful, but extremely dangerous as well.” He went on, beginning to pace. “Putting both of our humans in danger like that... Simply irresponsible... I can’t believe you...”

Akaashi was so caught up in his muttering that he failed to notice the door of his apartment open. He also failed to notice the watchful eye of his superior angel.

“Childish, dangerous, selfish... Not thinking of the repercussions...”

“You’ve got something to say?”

His head snapped up to see Kuroo leaning against the doorway of the apartment, the raven haired angel with a devilish smirk on his face.

Akaashi took a second to recover, his entire speech running through his head at lightning speed. He would perfectly deliver his speech. He would give Kuroo a piece of his mind. He would share exactly how he felt. He would-

“No.” Akaashi deadpanned, pushing passed the taller boy into the apartment.

Kuroo just chuckled, closing the door and following Akaashi inside.

“So,” Kuroo shrugged, leaning against the wall as his roommate discarded his gym bag. “What did you think of my little surprise?”

Akaashi simply glared at the taller angel, walking to the kitchen.

“You know, I thought it was pretty clever.” Kuroo teased, following him.

“It was rude and irresponsible.” Akaashi said quietly.

Kuroo leaned against the kitchen counter, carefully eyeing Akaashi as he prepared dinner. “Harsh.”

“What made you think that it would be a good idea? You’re messing with fate here.”

“Let me explain something to you, you naive youngster.” Kuroo said slyly, “Do you know how exhausting it is to have your human so hopelessly crushing on your coworker?”

Akaashi dropped his spoon. “Excuse me?” 

“Bokuto has a diary.” Kuroo snickered. “He also believes in love at first sight. He’s such a romantic.”

“Kuroo-san, I d-”

“He thinks he’s in love with you, and frankly, I’m tired of dealing with his sappiness.”

Akaashi grinded his teeth together lightly, giving his unwanted roommate a cold side glance. “And this is how you fix the issue?”

“Why, Akaashi, there’s more to it than just that.” Kuroo said, looking in the boiling pot Akaashi was preparing. “You’ve always been shit at your own emotions-”

“What elegant wording.” 

“- So I figured, if you can feel Bokuto’s emotions, maybe your stone cold heart would melt.”

“And how did you reach this conclusion?” Akaashi inquired.

Kuroo just lifted himself up to sit on the counter, eyes on Akaashi. “Bokuto’s emotions are... strong. Yours are not. Therefore, you two would make the perfect balance.”

Akaashi sighed, turning off the stove. “This still seems ridiculous.”

“Trust me!” Kuroo exclaimed. “You’ll thank me in the end!”

A knock on the door interrupted Akaashi’s train of thought before he could make a sarcastic comeback. Kuroo raised an amused eyebrow as Akaashi gave him a suspicious look.

“If that is Oikawa-san or Tendou-san here to make my life more difficult, I will set you on fire.” Akaashi deadpanned, not moving a muscle.

“I can’t think of a reason either of them would be here.” Kuroo said innocently.

“Neither can I...”

Kuroo hopped off the counter, grabbing a bag of chips on his way down. He strode over to the door, purposefully moving at a slower pace to raise Akaashi’s stress levels.

Almost teasingly, the mischievous angel slowly turned the knob of the door. He seemed to move in slow motion as the doorknob clicked, freeing the door itself from its hinge.

Kuroo whipped the door open the rest of the way, bursting into a fit of laughter. 

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked in disbelief, eyes trained on the boy standing in the doorframe of his apartment.

Bokuto’s face lit up as he saw Akaashi, his once confused expression turned to joy and excitement.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed. “I came to see you! Are you Akaashi’s roommate?” Bokuto asked, turning to Kuroo.

A smirk grew on the taller boy’s head as he leaned against the wall. “You could say that...”

“Well, my name’s Bokuto. I'm on Akaashi’s volleyball team!” Bokuto said excitedly.

“Nice to meet you.” Kuroo snorted. “I'm Kuroo, and I should be going. I'll give you two kids some private time.”

“Don't get in trouble, Kuroo-san.” Akaashi called as Kuroo grabbed his jacket.

The messy haired angel just nodded in response, slipping past Bokuto and into the hallway.

The door slammed, Bokuto surveying the apartment as Akaashi continued to devote his attention to the meal he was preparing.

“What are you making, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, exploring the kitchen.

“Lunch.” Akaashi answered simply.

Bokuto just nodded, rocking back and forward on his feet as he watched Akaashi. 

“So, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, his voice wavering slightly. “I wanted to ask you something...”

Akaashi put down his ladle, turning to look at Bokuto with a quizzing gaze. “And what would that be?”

Bokuto awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, taking a deep breath before yelling his response.

“I wanted to go to this thing and I need a friend and I wanted you to be that friend so I came to ask you and I wanted to know how you’d feel about that and maybe we could go together and you don’t have to of course bu-”

Akaashi silenced the taller man with a simple index finger to his lips, bringing the quickly spoken invitation to an abrupt stop.

Bokuto’s cheeks were a fiery red as he awaited a reply. With each passing second, the shade seemed to darken as Akaashi’s face gave away nothing about his thoughts on the matter.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi began calmly. “When is this event?”

“Tomorrow night.” Bokuto mumbled, eyes wide.

Akaashi nodded, removing his finger from the other boy’s lips. He quickly ran the pros and cons of the situation, seeing what would benefit him more in the long run.

“Perhaps...” Akaashi said, causing Bokuto to perk up. “I can make it...”

Bokuto broke into a large grin, wrapping his strong arms around Akaashi’s lithe body.

“Thank you, Aggaaashi!” He yelled, picking up the lighter boy and twirling him around.

“Bokuto-san, please set me down.” Akaashi asked, deadpan.

“Oh...” 

Bokuto set him down, a 1000 watt smile still plastered on the vice-captain’s face as he began to ramble about the party again. Though piles of information about said party were being thrown at Akaashi all at once, he was unable to catch a single word of it. 

His attention lied elsewhere. To where Bokuto’s hand rested lightly on the shorter’s hip. To where Akaashi could feel the light pressure and warmth of the human’s hand, barely even touching the angel’s hip.

***

Akaashi didn’t know if the thought of the party had distracted him, or if his legs had simply taken him to the cemetery subconsciously. He had decided to take a jog, simply to brainstorm some of the best ways to understand Bokuto.

However, this jog had taken him straight to the second most problematic aspect of his life.

As he briefly stopped to stretch his calves, he realized exactly where he was. Headstones were scattered around the large expanse of grass, a few sorrowed souls mourning the losses of loved ones.

A wild head of black hair caught Akaashi’s attention, causing the angel to sigh. The warm summer grass was compressed by the angel’s workout shoes as he approached his co worker. With a raise of his eyebrow and a cross of his arms, he looked straight into Kuroo’s head.

“Why are you here?”

Kuroo’s head snapped up from where he was looking down. His face revealed his shock as he was caught off guard, his eye’s filled with sadness and a hint of fear.

“Kuroo-san?” Akaashi asked again, causing the senior angel to flinch. “Is this where he is? Kenma-san?”

Kuroo seemed slightly shocked at first, but quickly recovered, nodding solemnly. “Where his earthly body lies.”

“I assume that it is a bittersweet feeling, the one you can find here.” Akaashi said, leaning against a nearby tree.

Kuroo nodded, kneeling down. “Heaven is a cruel place...”

“I wouldn’t say cruel.” Akaashi shrugged casually. “We all must abide by the rules laid down by the archangels.”

“That much is simple.” Kuroo said, a small spark of anger laced in his tone.

“You knew the rules when came down to be with Kenma-san. You kn-”

“That was twenty years ago.” The taller boy snapped, standing up. “And you’re not one to talk. You’re doing the same thing.”

Akaashi stood up straight, moving closer. “It’s different.”

 

“How?” Kuroo challenged.

“I came down to lead my human off the path of corruption, not to be his friend.”

“Then why are you still here?”

The two shared a few contesting glares for a moment before Kuroo spoke up again.

“Konoha isn’t your problem anymore.” Kuroo growled, taking a step closer to the shorter angel. “And Bokuto was never on the path of corruption.”

Akaashi scoffed. “Kono-”

“So why are you still here?”

“I have a duty-”

“It’s no longer your duty. I fixed it.” Kuroo said, the tone of his voice wavering slightly.

Akaashi struggled to form words, truly stumped on how to reply. He, himself was unsure of why he remained on earth.

Kuroo just sighed, shifting his gaze to something just beyond Akaashi’s head. “He invited you, didn’t he? Bokuto invited you to that stupid grand opening party?” He said in a calm tone.

“He did...” Akaashi replied calmly.

“And you’re going?”

“Most likely.”

“I see...”

The two sat in a thick silence for a few moments, neither daring to speak nor move. 

“Well...” Kuroo mumbled. “I should get going. I’ve got a delinquent to help.”

Akaashi nodded as the taller boy turned away. He watched the form of his coworker disappear into the streets of Tokyo, leaving him alone with his thoughts and his regrets.

***

“It’s not fair... It’s totally not fair...”

“I know what you mean, Ennoshita-san...”

Akaashi gave his two earthly co workers a confused gaze as the two laid on Ennoshita’s bed.

“He looks good in every color.” Yamaguchi said, getting up to hand Akaashi a different color flannel.

Ennoshita sighed, rolling over to where he had a pile of various colors of shirts laid out. “I’ll find a color that doesn’t suit him. I’ll make him pay for being too perfect.”

“Are you sure you weren’t a model or something in your past life?”

“I bet a tye dye print would knock him down to our league...”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow as he turned to look in his co worker’s full length mirror. “I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

The angel had turned to the one person on earth, quite literally, who he could trust. He needed something decent to wear to the grand opening Bokuto had invited him to, and he had no one to ask a favor of other than Ennoshita.

The angel had rushed over to the sensible human’s apartment, Yamaguchi in tow, and begged to borrow some of his clothes.

“Can you imagine how great he’d look if we fixed his hair?” Yamaguchi asked, playing with the tips of the angel’s black hair.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Akaashi asked, confused.

“We could gel it up.” Ennoshita chuckled lightly.

Akaashi grimaced at the thought of sticky substances in his hair. “Preferably not.”

“So, what exactly is this for?” Yamaguchi asked.

“I’m attending the gra-”

“He has a date.” Ennoshita interjected, tossing an emerald green polo shirt to Akaashi.

The angel sighed, discarding the orange one he was previously wearing. “I would not define it as a date.”

“Oh, it’s a date.” Ennoshita rebutted.

Yamaguchi giggled, sitting back down on the bed. “If that blush is anything to go by...”

Akaashi’s eyes snapped to the mirror where he, indeed, saw a light pink tint on his cheekbones and the tips of his ears. He silently scoffed at himself, looking away from the mirror.

“Maybe we should try a more neutral color.” Yamaguchi suggested, tossing Akaashi a gray and black button up.

Ennoshita nodded, “I think you’re onto something...”

Yamaguchi giggled lightly, tossing a leather jacket at the angel. “You’ll look great for your date.”

In that moment, Akaashi truly, completely, doubted his intentions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Typically I'd like to update on Fridays, but I'll be traveling tomorrow so this week's update is on Thursday :) Thanks for reading!


	5. V: Zehanpuryu - In Which Akaashi Addresses His Heart Problems

Practice the next day felt extremely awkward, on Akaashi’s side mostly. He knew that in just a mere few hours, Bokuto would show up at his doorstep, and the two would waltz off into the sunset holding hands and giggling.

At least, that’s what had happened in the ‘romantic comedy movie’ Kuroo had forced him to watch the previous night. Akaashi couldn’t say that he felt the same urge to weep over the fictional relationship as his roommate, but it was certainly an entertaining piece of media.

He was, however, slightly confused. By the same logic as the movie, Bokuto should have been overjoyed to the point of sweeping Akaashi off of his feet and twirling him through the air as if he was weightless. But Bokuto made no such movement.

In fact, it seemed to the angel as if Bokuto was avoiding him completely.

Halfway through practice, the captain had instructed the two to work together yet again, the duo still barely being able to sync properly. Having a heavenly connection to Bokuto certainly helped Akaashi, but it was still a challenge for the two to properly pull off a spike.

Bokuto had barely spoken a word to Akaashi throughout the entire practice so far, settling for grumpy grunts and short replies. The angel was grateful for his ability to feel the other’s emotions. Without the inside view, he would fear emotionally hurting the vice captain.

The wild mixture of frustration, anger, nerves, regret, and excitement gave Akaashi a slight headache. Apparently, Bokuto’s emotional state was a mess as well, the grimace on his face giving him away.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi sighed, approaching the boy. “You’re facial expression causes you to look constipated and you’re avoiding me as if I were the plague. What is wrong?”

Bokuto seemed slightly shocked at the confrontation, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well...”

Akaashi knew it would be better for Bokuto to explain his mental state himself, and revealing his ability to sense his emotions would do him no good in the long run.

“I cannot read your emotions if you do not communicate them.” Akaashi lied. 

Bokuto made a few confused faces, a light pink quickly dusting his cheeks. “Well... Akaashi... promise you won’t be mad...”

“That all depends.”

Bokuto groaned, shoving his face in his hands dramatically. “I went to your apartment last night!”

“I wasn’t at my apartment until late last night.” Akaashi said in a slightly questioning tone.

“But your roommate was there! And I don’t trust him...” Bokuto growled.

“That makes two of us...” Akaashi held in a chuckle. “But, Bokuto-san, could your visit last night have waited until our date?”

“I gu- Date?!”

Akaashi gave the taller boy a confused look as his cheeks grew more and more red. His entire face was a deep scarlet hue as he gaped like a fish, staring at the angel with wide eyes.

“Bokuto-san, are you alright?” Akaashi asked, placing a hand on Bokuto’s cheek in an attempt to calm him down.

Bokuto let out a high pitched screech, causing the angel to snap his hand away in fear that he harmed his human.

“How did you know?” Bokuto exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

Akaashi cocked his head to the side in confusion. “You asked me...”

Bokuto’s brain seemed to short circuit as he fruitlessly attempted to think of a reply. The embarrassment he felt enveloped both him and Akaashi in a thick layer of complicated emotions.

“Oh, Aggaaaashii!” Bokuto sobbed, throwing his arms around the angel.

Akaashi rolled his eyes, debating how best to comfort the weeping boy. He lightly patted Bokuto’s back, barely noticing the sharp burst of endearment in his heart.

“I didn’t think you’d agree to a date right away!” Bokuto admitted, unlatching himself from Akaashi’s slender embrace. “I was going to ask you on a real date when we got there...”

“I apologize for misreading the invitation.” Akaashi said, a playful tone hidden in his voice.

“No!” Bokuto yelled. “This is better! This is a date! Oh, boy... I’ve gotta lo-”

Bokuto stopped in the middle of his statement, suddenly seeming bothered by something. The strange feeling that hit Akaashi from the boy was not one he was acquainted with. 

“Bokuto-san? Are you alright?” Akaashi asked.

The gray haired spiker seemed to snap out of a mini trance, looking back down at Akaashi with wide and excited eyes. “Yeah, I’m great! Let’s practice!”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow in confusion as his soon-to-be date skipped away, the unexplainable emotion still prominent behind layers of false enthusiasm. The angel knew that his new human was hiding something. The emotions he felt wouldn’t betray his razor sharp abilities as an angel.

***

“Hana-chaaan...”

“I’m doing important work, Oikawa-san, please leave me be.”

“Hana-chaaan!”

“Please, I’ll speak with you once I have finished my report.”

“Hana-chaaaaan...!”

Hana looked up from her papers, eyes landing on the infamous angel of the thirty-first floor. Oikawa was draped across the soft orange chairs in her office, a bored expression on his face as he mindlessly played with a tuft of his hair.

“What, Oikawa-san.” Hana gently sighed.

He perked up at being addressed, sitting straight up in the chair and leaning onto the desk. “Hana-chan!”

“Yes?” She sighed, laughing lightly at the ridiculous antics of her coworker.

“How was earth?” He asked innocently.

“Great, is that all?”

Oikawa pouted, leaning forward even more. “That’s all?”

“Don’t you have a human to keep an eye on?” Hana asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, Iwa-chan’s fine.” Oikawa dismissed. “Tell me more about Akaashi’s adventure though...”

“So that’s what you’re really interested in.” Hana chuckled. “Honestly, me too... Him and Kuroo are in quite a risky situation right now...”

“Do you know why Tetsu-chan switched their humans?” Oikawa asked.

Hana stacked up her unfinished report, paperclipping them and sealing them away in a drawer before leaning in again. “I don’t know all the details, but Yaku-san said it had something to do with Kenma.”

“Kenma?” Oikawa echoed. “That was almost sixty years ago...”

Hana shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “That boy was very important to Kuroo... more so than humans normally are to their guardian angels.”

“That was even at a different agency...”

Hana nodded. “The Exodus branch if I remember correctly...”

“We should go get some answers from Yaku-chan!” Oikawa suggested.

“Or maybe leave him to his work so he can properly care for his human.” Hana laughed.

Oikawa feigned a gasp. “Work? Who has time for that? Let’s go bother him!”

***

“So you’re sure about this?” Kuroo asked.

Akaashi was currently running a hand through his slightly messy hair, inspecting his outfit in the mirror. Bokuto would arrive at his house in just a few minutes, ready to escort the angel to the grand opening of some restaurant he was eager to try.

“I assume you want to talk me out of this?” Akaashi asked the taller man.

Kuroo gracefully draped himself over the couch in the living room, giving Akaashi a confrontational gaze. “I don’t want to talk you out of this. I want to talk you into going home.”

“I couldn’t imagine why.” Akaashi said, passive aggression buried deep within his tone. “I have a human that needs me-”

“A human that needs you watching over him from heaven.”

Kuroo’s hostile tone seemed to make the room shake. Akaashi narrowed his eyes at the taller man, an unspoken warning to calm himself.

“Why did you switch us in the first place.” He demanded in a calm tone.

“You know that.” Kuroo scoffed, taking a sip of some canned drink.

“I want the real answer.”

The messy haired angel sighed, sitting straight up on the couch. He sent a nervous glance to Akaashi, before turning his gaze back to the carpeted floor.

“Do you remember...” He began in a melancholy tone, “Why I came to earth all those years ago?”

“Because you fell in love with your human.” Akaashi responded, leaning against the wall.

Kuroo let out a humorless laugh, eyes still focused on the cream colored carpet beneath his feet. “That’s half of it.” Kuroo looked up, his hazel eyes meeting Akaashi’s own. “I didn’t fall in love with my human.”

“Kenma-san?”

“He was never my human.”

Kuroo’s heartbeat seemed to echo through the room. The junior angel attempted to reply to the new information, but a knocking on the door interrupted any train of thought he currently had.

Kuroo’s expression changed to that of a positive nature, though his smirk didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Looks like your Prince Charming has arrived.”

Akaashi looked warily from the door to the fellow angel, debating the best course of action.

“Kuroo-san,” Akaashi called. “You’ll explain this to me later.”

“Don’t bet on it.” He chuckled.

They made eye contact, the younger of the two with a glint of fiery determination deep within. Kuroo’s eyes narrowed in a silent challenge as another knock engulfed the room.

“Be back by eleven, and no funny business.” Kuroo said in a mocking tone.

Akaashi simply sighed, grabbing his keys and walking out, slamming the door behind him.

Bokuto seemed quite shocked by the angel’s sudden appearance, and slightly pitied the poor door. Akaashi’s mood seemed to change as he shut the door behind him, separating himself from the secrets of his senior.

“Aggaaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed, pulling the flustered man into a warm hug.

Though tense at first, Akaashi quickly melted into the hug. He felt as though his confusion and stress, caused by Kuroo, seemed to fade away.

He took a mental note to study the psychological benefits of hugs after he finished the abundance of other tasks on his mental notepad.

“You look quite sophisticated, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi complimented as the larger of the two released him.

“Aw man, I’m supposed to be the one to compliment you first!” Bokuto exclaimed as they began their trek down the hall.

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, a hint of an amused smirk on his face. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m the one who asked you!” He whined, throwing his hands in the air.

He quickly began to sprint, running up to the front door of the apartment building. He swung the door open, almost hitting himself on the face in the process. Akaashi ignored the increase in the beat of his heart as Bokuto presented the sidewalk, holding the door open with a wide smile on his face.

“Such a gentleman.” Akaashi remarked.

Bokuto blushed lightly, nodding his head at a rapid speed. “That’s right!”

As Akaashi exited the building, Bokuto was quickly glued to his side yet again.

***

“No... way...”

Hana sat criss-cross on the floor of her co worker’s office. Oikawa laid next to her, both of their eyes trained on the sandy brunette senior angel by the name of Yaku.

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Yaku chuckled. “No one knows except those who worked with him back in the Exodus branch.”

“So you mean, Kenma was never Tetsu-chan’s human?” Oikawa asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Yaku nodded, retiring the paperwork he was previously working on. “That’s why he went to earth.”

“So Kenma-kun was never on the path of corruption...” Hana contemplated. “What happened to Kuroo-san’s actual human at the time?”

“He lived a long and happy life.” Yaku shrugged. He stood up from behind the desk, walking around to the front. “Kuroo has always been a decent angel, though it pains me to say...”

Oikawa leaned forward, curiosity in his brown eyes. “What about Kenma-chan’s angel?”

Yaku grimaced, leaning back on his desk. “In his defense, he was only a junior angel...”

The audience duo both gasped at that, their eyes widening in shock. “So you mean...” Oikawa whispered.

“It’s not Kuroo’s fault?” Hana finished.

“It never was.” Yaku sighed. “He blamed himself for something he couldn’t control.”

“Why?” Oikawa asked. “He has to know that it isn’t his fault!”

Yaku’s eyes seemed to darken as he looked to the ground. “You’ll have to ask him.”

“I should go to earth and interrogate him!” Oikawa exclaimed.

Hana sent him a half-playful glare. “No.”

“Ruining my fun, Hana-chan...”

***

“You know, Akaashi, I don’t know much about you...”

Akaashi looked up from his food, his breath nearly taken away by the rich golden eyes of his dinner companion. The low lighting of the restaurant seemed to compliment Bokuto’s eyes, which in turn, seemed to cause Akaashi’s heart to beat faster and his palms to sweat.

“Stupid human body...” Akaashi muttered under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi smiled softly. “What were you saying?”

“Tell me about yourself!” Bokuto repeated with much more enthusiasm.

Akaashi held back a large smile, looking down at his lap in an attempt to calm himself. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything!” Bokuto insisted, gaining the attention of a few others in the room.

“There’s really not much to tell.” Akaashi admitted, taking a sip of his drink.

“Where are you from?” Bokuto asked, curiosity surrounding him.

The angel felt a small heat at the tips of his ears as he looked up again, met by the dark golden eyes of his human. “Somewhere very far away.”

“Aww, Aggaaashi! Why are you so secretive!”

“There’s really no reason for you to know.” Akaashi reasoned, taking the final bite of his food.

Bokuto seemed personally offended by that statement. “Of course there is!”

“And why is that?” Akaashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I want to know everything about you!” The human exclaimed, almost hitting a waitress as he waived his hands in the air.

The small talk that the two had partaken in earlier was simple for Akaashi. Discussing trivial matters such as the weather or the volleyball team required no prior knowledge. However, the information that Bokuto wanted was... nonexistent.

The angel had no hometown he knew of. No family he could remember. No memories of who he was. All he knew was the life he had in heaven.

He could pass off his friends such as Oikawa and Tendou as family, or use his heavenly apartment as where he grew up, but those would be lies.

Akaashi didn’t want to lie to Bokuto.

“Everything?” Akaashi repeated.

Bokuto just nodded enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling.

“I don’t know where I’m from.” Akaashi admitted. “And I don’t have any family.”

Bokuto’s wide smile faltered, turning into a frown. “Akaashi, I’m really sorry... I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.” Akaashi said weakly. “Don’t feel bad... I have great friends... Great... friends...” Memories of Oikawa and Kuroo flashed through his mind. “On second thought...”

Bokuto placed some money on the table, abruptly standing up. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Akaashi nodded, following Bokuto towards the exit. He quickly bid the host farewell as Bokuto grabbed his hand, pulling him through the small crowd around the door.

The sun was just about to set as the outside air engulfed the two. The restaurant sat next to a sparkling lake, the pastel hues of the sunset coloring the body of water.

“Aggaaashi!” Bokuto gasped, frozen still. “It’s so pretty!”

“That’s true, Bokuto-san.”

The skies would never begin to compare to those in heaven, however. The humans would fawn over brilliant colors painted across the sky during the rise and fall of the sun, but Akaashi had seen these colors much closer before. He had marveled at their beauty as they stained his hands.

He let out a soft chuckle at how easily entertained the humans were by such trivial senses as sight.

He also felt a large thump in his heart as he pictured showing Bokuto the sunset from heaven.

As he pictured the excitement and wonder the human would feel as he ran his strong hands through the colors.

As he pictured the sparkle in his human’s eyes as he stood mere inches away from what he’s seen only from millions of miles away.

“Akaashi?”

The angel snapped out of his reverie as his eyes hit Bokuto. The wild gray hair and wide smile set before the light orange sky caused his heart to stop.

He made another mental note to visit an earthly doctor. Perhaps his human body had heart problems.

“Let’s go down to the lake.” Bokuto said suddenly, grabbing Akaashi’s hand.

Akaashi followed him down the rocky area surrounding the lake, careful of where he stepped. Bokuto abruptly stopped as he reached the body of water, his feet mere inches from where the water lightly lapped.

The reflection of the colors in the sky danced gracefully in the water, but Akaashi was still unimpressed. The look of fascination on Bokuto’s face caught the angel’s attention much more than simple colors.

“Akaashi, let’s go swimming.” Bokuto suggested, eyes wide with excitement.

Akaashi gave him a concerned look, fumbling with his hands slightly. “I don’t know if that would be appropriate...”

“It’ll be fine!” Bokuto reassured, unbuckling his belt.

Akaashi felt his entire face heat up as the human discarded his pants. “Bokuto-san, I- Oh dear...”

Bokuto’s shirt was next to go, along with his shoes. “Come on, Akaashi! Live a little!”

As the gray haired man ran into the water, Akaashi debated the pros and cons of listening to him. As Bokuto stood up and waved, water to his knees and his white tanktop already soaked, he felt his heart skip a beat yet again.

Human bodies were so fickle.

Akaashi unbuttoned his shirt, Bokuto cheering him on from the water. He felt a warm feeling travel through his chest as he dropped his shirt, hopping out of his pants next.

“Aggaaashi!” Bokuto called, causing the warm feeling to bubble up even more.

As he followed Bokuto, running into the water, the warm feeling overflowed.

He bursted into laughter.

It was a foreign feeling to the angel. True, he had chuckled at a few of Kuroo’s one liners, or snickered when one of his ‘friends’ got into an entertaining situation, but this... was different.

He couldn’t hold it in. He couldn’t stop himself. The sound seemed to just fall out, feelings of joy taking over his entire being.

Bokuto was laughing as well, doubled over and engulfed in his own type of euphoria.

“A-Aggaaashi!” Bokuto choked out between his fits of laughter.

Akaashi slightly recovered, enough to see Bokuto right in front of him. His human’s hair was laid flat against his head, his bright smile continuing to give Akaashi the foreign feeling of joy.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi breathed out, a wide smile forcing it’s way onto his typically indifferent face. “I’ve never... I’ve never... felt like this...”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Bokuto asked, still smiling.

Akaashi nodded, looking up at the sky yet again. “Yes, it’s a very good thing.”

“Hey! You two!”

Akaashi’s head snapped over to the shore of the lake, where a lady stood, yelling at the two.

“Get out, you hooligans!”

Akaashi turned to look back at Bokuto. After just a second of looking into his golden eyes, the two burst out into another fit of laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading !! :)


	6. VI: Raziel - Bokuto is Super Adorable Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, lovelies! Just so you know, there is a NSFW ish part at the beginning (very ISH. Like idk if it can even be considered NSFW). It's barely there, but in case you're an innocent muffin child or that just isn't your style, you can just skip to the lil '-' thing. :)

“Bokuto-san…”

“Akaashi, where are we?”

“Be silent, Bokuto-san…”

Bokuto had no idea where he was, or how he had even got to this place. He seemed to be in a typical office; a desk in the middle of the room being his only clue. The files stacked atop the desk were also quite official-looking, giving him slightly more insight as to where he was.

However, Bokuto was not given an opportunity to explore the unknown place. As he was being kept from leaving the very chair he sat in.

“A-A-Akaashi…” He mumbled.

The mentioned black haired beauty crawled up onto Bokuto’s lap, caging in the taller boy’s legs with his own. Bokuto’s face heated up to a dark red as Akaashi straddled him, slender arms draping over his shoulders.

“What’s wrong, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked in a low tone, his lips ghosting against Bokuto’s ear. “Do you not like my office?”

Bokuto swallowed the lump in his throat as he attempted to reply. “This is… um… y-your office?” His voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

Akaashi lightly trailed his nose against the outline of Bokuto’s jaw, his eyelashes brushing against the taller boy’s cheer as he went.

“Yes…” Akaashi whispered again. “This is where I watch you.”

“You… watch me?” The gray haired boy replied breathlessly, nerves piling up as Akaashi’s hands brushed against his shoulders.

Akaashi nodded as he pulled his face away, hands tending to the top button of Bokuto’s shirt. “This is where I protect you… Where I get to protect my Bokuto-san…”

As slender fingers slowly popped open the first few buttons of his shirt, Bokuto’s hands lightly rested on Akaashi’s back, slowly rubbing up and down his spine. Akaashi tucked his head into the crook of Bokuto’s neck, peppering light kisses on the now exposed skin.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi whimpered lightly. “You’re so strong…”

Bokuto sighed softly as his hands slipped under the smaller man’s shirt, the clothing no longer obstructing him from Akaashi’s skin. As Akaashi pushed his head further up Bokuto’s neck, the latter’s vision opened up to view the room.

His eyes landed on a plaque on the desk. One that caught his attention. In big bold letters, it wrote ‘Akaashi Keiji, Junior Guardian Angel’.

“Aka-“

“You know now.”

The warmth of Akaashi’s body suddenly disappeared. Bokuto took one last glance at the green sign on the cluttered desk, before his world went black.

 

-

 

Bokuto shot out of bed, sweat covering his body. His eyes shot to the alarm clock next to his bed, the time revealing that he had overslept.

“Dammit!” He cursed, untangling himself from his sheets.

He rushed to the closet, quickly sliding on running shorts and a tank top. He grabbed his phone from the charger, plugging in the headphones as he ran to the front door of the apartment.

He quickly tied his running shoes, pushing the invading thoughts of his dream to the back of his mind.

The second his foot touched the pavement, he broke into a sprint, fearing that he would be late. He dodged through the crowds of men and women, off on their morning commute, his focus remaining on getting to the destination on time.

As he turned the corner that led to the park, he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of messy black hair. The body the hair belonged to sent Bokuto a wave as he approached.

“Kuroo!” Bokuto called out. He came to a stop as he got to him.

“Hey, man. Why the rush?” Kuroo asked as the volleyball player spent a second to recover.

“I woke up late.” Bokuto explained, leaning against a nearby tree.

Kuroo nodded in understanding, quickly stretching his calves. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

The two broke out in a slow jog, approaching the popular running trail that ran through the park. Though it was quite early, the trail was still populated with a few fellow joggers and cyclers.

“So,” Kuroo began, keeping his speed consistent. “Did you think about what I told you?

“Yeah, I still don’t really understand though.” Bokuto replied.

Kuroo swerved slightly to avoid a small puddle. “How’d the date go?”

“Almost too well.” Bokuto admitted, a smile on his face.

“You’re treading on dangerous waters.”

“I don’t see how.” Bokuto huffed.

Kuroo sighed, a droplet of sweat beginning to drop down the side of his face as he picked up his speed. “Didn’t we go over this the other night?”

“You just told me not to get too attached to him!” Bokuto whined, “You never gave me any details...”

“You don't need to know the details...”

“Yeah I do!” Bokuto said, dodging a stray cycler on the path. “You had me so scared at first... even Akaashi could tell something was wrong!”

“I know that you like him a lot...” Kuroo sighed, out of breath. “But I’m trying to warn you. He's not good for you.”

“C’mon, man! He's really good-no, perfect for me!” 

Kuroo gave him a concerned glance, “I don’t think so...”

“He is!” Bokuto defended. “He's great... he protects me... he's like... he's like... my guardian angel or something!”

Kuroo’s eyes went wide with horror, his shock causing his foot to miss a rock in his path. He fell to the ground, multiple forms of panic etched into his face before he lost consciousness.

***

Akaashi was very confused. Granted, he was confused about many things that pertained to human psychology. But this feeling of confusion was mixed with genuine concern, and a few wild emotions from Bokuto.

The main emotion he felt from his beloved human truly baffled the junior angel. Embarrassment.

Even worse, this embarrassment was directed at Akaashi himself.

No matter how many times he racked his brain, he could not think of a reason for this emotion to be so prominent. Bokuto hadn’t done anything recently to embarrass himself in front of Akaashi.

In fact, the angel was expecting the exact opposite.

He had felt quite excited that morning to see Bokuto again at practice. He assumed that once the two were reunited, they would partake in easy banter and become closer, due to their growing bond.

However, his assumption was incorrect. Every time Bokuto looked at his angel’s face, his cheeks simply grew redder and his eyes darted away. 

This odd mood, combined with the one from the previous morning’s practice, worried Akaashi. He had to think of a way to fix it, and soon. 

He had been on earth for almost a week. He only had another few days before his health would start deteriorating and he would be forced to return to heaven. Though the deadline was close, he had even less time to prepare, taking into account the shifts at the cafe and the amount of volleyball practices increasing.

Humans sure had busy schedules.

Akaashi estimated that he would have to figure out a plan before the day was done. He could brainstorm a way to understand his human during his shift at the cafe.

Though it would be a rigorous schedule, Akaashi knew that he had to find a way to make it work. He had to help his human as much as he could before returning to heaven.

He had to protect his human.

***

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a car...”

Akaashi rolled his eyes at his overdramatic roommate as he handed him a coffee from behind the counter at Cafe Karas. The mentioned roomate pulled out a bottle of pills, swallowing two before downing the small coffee. 

“Why the pills?” Akaashi asked, wiping the counter.

Kuroo leaned against the newly clean counter, bugging his junior. “You’ll never guess what happened this morning.”

“I wouldn’t, even if I wanted to.”

“I went on a run with your boyfriend this morning, right?”

Akaashi’s eyes snapped up at this comment, the counter long forgotten. “You did what?”

“He knows.” Kuroo said in a flat tone. His face was completely serious, no hint of his usual smirk or teasing.

“He what?” Akaashi hissed quietly, leaning over the counter.

“He knows what you are.”

Akaashi was speechless.

“I don’t think he knows that he knows.” Kuroo continued, lowering his tone. “But he’s definitely got an idea...”

“Dammit...” Akaashi cursed quietly, clenching the damp towel in his hand.

Kuroo leaned out again, his serious tone turning back to normal. “That’s how I got this scar.” He explained, pointing to a bandage on his cheek. “I was so shocked... and the ground was... so hard...”

“And you’re such a simpleton.” Akaashi said, tossing his towel back into the sink.

Kuroo chuckled, tossing a few coins in the tip jar. “Look, we’ll talk about this later.”

“I look forward to it.” Akaashi deadpanned as his senior angel waved him a farewell.

The barista simply changed his attention to the pamphlet he was previously reading, eyes skimming over the various activities Tokyo had to offer. 

He had ruled out all restaurants, having already visited one with Bokuto. Anything involving animals was also forbidden, due to their ability to sense that Akaashi was not an earthly being. 

An ad for an amusement park briefly caught his attention, until an image of Bokuto getting lost popped in his head.

“Something... less populated.” He muttered.

“Whacha looking at?”

Ennoshita leaned against the counter next to Akaashi, curiosity written on his face. He tilted his head to take a glance at the pamphlet as the angel explained.

“I’m looking for local attractions.”

Ennoshita gave him a knowing grin. “Is it for a date?”

“I suppose one could call it that.” Akaashi said innocently.

“Mind if I take a look?”

Akaashi nodded as he handed it to his co worker. “Do you know anywhere?”

Ennoshita looked over the advertisements in the pamphlet, shaking his head. “None of these are really that special.”

“That’s what I was afraid of...”

“Well... I may know a place.” Ennoshita offered, discarding the useless piece of paper.

“Really? Where?”

Ennoshita chuckled softly, leaning against the counter. “How do you feel about plants?”

***

“Hana-chaaan.”

“Oikawa, what do you want!”

Oikawa’s eyes widened as Hana snapped at him, the latter engrossed in her paperwork.

“Snappy.” The man remarked.

Hana sighed, rubbing her temples. “I still haven’t finished my report on what happened on earth.”

“Oh, that’s unimportant.” He dismissed. “But, I have an idea...”

“And what is that, exactly?” Hana asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We should go interrogate some angels from the Exodus branch.”

Hana rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her paper. “Why?”

“I want to know what happened to Kenma-chan.” The brunette said innocently, leaning back in his chair.

“You already know.” She reasoned. “There’s no reason to open old wounds.”

Oikawa leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What if Kenma-chan is an angel?”

“Oikawa-san, humans that die in a state of corruption cannot become ang-”

“We don’t know that he died in a state of corruption though!” Oikawa exclaimed. “Yaku-chan never said that!”

“So you want to see if he’s in heaven...” Hana tested, finally putting her papers away.

Oikawa nodded enthusiastically.

“Fine.” She groaned. “I’ll go with you.”

***

“I don’t get why you’re so nervous.” Konoha drawled out, lazily leaning against the wall right outside the entrance of Cafe Karas.

“Akaashi is working!” Bokuto exclaimed, pacing back and forth.

Konoha rolled his eyes. “Frankly, you look more ridiculous pacing than you would just confronting him for.. Why ever you’re so nervous..”

Bokuto ran a hand through his hair, letting out a groan of frustration. “I was so awkward during practice this morning and everything!”

Konoha just sighed, pushing himself off of the wall. “We’re going in.” He deadpanned, grabbing Bokuto’s hand and halting the taller boy’s pacing.

Bokuto whined as the blonde pulled him through the front door, his eyes purposefully avoiding the counter. Konoha dragged him through the tables, pushing him toward the counter.

The gray haired boy finally gained the courage to look behind the counter, Akaashi’s piercing eyes looking up at him.

“Oh, hello, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi greeted.

Bokuto’s cheeks flared into a deep red as Akaashi said his name. “H-hi, A-Akaashi!”

“Are you alright?” Akaashi asked. “You look sick.”

“I-I’m fine!” Bokuto gave him an exaggerated thumbs up.

“Well, what can I get for you?”

Bokuto mumbled out his order, Konoha following. The vice captain’s eyes darted around the room, the cozier atmosphere of the cafe causing him even more issues than practice that morning.

He attempted to his eyes from straying, sparing only a single glance at his favorite barista’s slender fingers as he prepared his coffee. Eyes quickly skimming over the slim figure of his setter, and mind wandering just once.

Extreme guilt flashed through him as his thoughts brought him to memories of the dream. 

Akaashi faltered slightly in his movements, causing the vice captain to panic again. His guilt grew more as the idea of Akaashi being a mind reader hit him. 

He felt like curling up in a ball and crying just at that thought. Akaashi probably knew exactly what he dreamed about. He was probably reading his thoughts right then! He probably hated Bokuto! 

The room seemed to shake around Bokuto as his mind slipped into overdrive, his thoughts turning into a complicated jumble of emotions and guilt. He felt as though the walls of the cafe were about to crumble down and crush hi-

“Bokuto-san?”

Everything froze as his eyes met Akaashi’s.

“Are you alright?” Akaashi asked.

Bokuto’s legs felt so weak he thought they would snap under him, but he spared Akaashi a nod and large smile regardless. “I’m great!”

The corners of Akaashi’s mouth tilted up slightly. “Um, I was wondering... if you’re busy tomorrow? Around noon?”

Bokuto’s blush returned with a vengeance. “Yes!” He exclaimed. “I’m free!”

“Great. Meet me here?”

“Deal!”


	7. VII: Pahaliah - The Angsty Part

“You two are getting along just swimmingly.” Kuroo remarked.

Akaashi quickly scanned his appearance in his full length mirror, ignoring his roommates comment.

“He’s getting awfully attached to you, you know.” The black haired angel continued, leaning against the doorway of Akaashi’s room.

Akaashi sighed, turning to face him. “I really don’t have a choice. I need to understand him before I return to heaven.”

Kuroo burst into a chuckle, recovering into a teasing smirk. “We both know that this is beyond you simply wanting to succeed at your job.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Akaashi said carefully.

Kuroo’s playful expression darkened to a more serious one. “Just don’t get too attached to him. You need to go back home soon. You’ve been here for a week.”

“Eleven days.” Akaashi corrected.

Kuroo waved his hand in dismissal. “That’s enough time to fall in love.”

Akaashi’s eyes widened in shock. “Love?”

The taller angel’s expression returned to lighthearted and teasing. “Well, you better get going.” He remarked. “Or you’ll be late for your date.”

***

Bokuto’s determined attitude would have been a breath of fresh air for most people. His positivity and simple optimism typically spread joy to those around him.

But Konoha felt quite the opposite.

“Do you think it’s too cheesy? Or too typical? Do you think he’ll hate it?”

The never ending questions from Bokuto got old after the first twenty minutes. The unwilling audience had turned his direction completely to his phone, simply nodding and uttering a half hearted, one word reply when he felt obligated.

“Do you think he would even want to be my boyfriend?”

Konoha just nodded, taking a sip of his coffee without his eyes leaving his phone screen.

Bokuto gasped, his own coffee long forgotten. “What if he doesn’t even like me?!”

The gray haired boy’s companion gave a bored sigh, briefly double tapping on his smartphone.

“What if he thinks I’m annoying? A lot of people think I’m annoying...” Bokuto admitted, a tiny pout on his face. “He’s so pretty, I don’t see why he’d want to be stuck with me...”

Konoha raised an eyebrow as a silent challenge. “Bokuto... godammit...”

The taller male’s eyes widened at Konoha’s language.

“Do you seriously not see the way he looks at you during practice?” He groaned.

Bokuto tilted his head to the side in confusion. “He what?”

The blonde boy hit his head against the table in Cafe Karas, a few nearby customers giving him a confused glance. “You’re impossible...” He muttered. “He’s always looking at you. Sometimes it looks like he’s analyzing you, other times he looks like your simple existence gives him a boner.”

An old lady at a nearby table spit out her drink as Bokuto simply gaped at his friend.

“He’s constantly watching you, it’s exhausting.” Konoha continued, his phone finally releasing his attention. “He’s always trying to understand you.” Konoha’s eyes drifted to the door of the cafe, lazily turning back to Bokuto. “Your date’s here, you should probably get going.”

Bokuto stood up so fast, his chair flew out from under him. His eyes scanned the shop before landing on Akaashi, a bright blush growing slightly on his cheeks.

“Go to your Prince Charming.” Konoha snickered, eyes back on his phone. “And make sure you pop the question.”

Bokuto nodded wildly, his eyes glued to Akaashi as said Prince Charming searched the cafe. The taller of the two stumbled around chairs and tables, disrupting only a couple cafe-goers, catching Akaashi’s attention as he approached.

“Bokuto-san.” The black haired boy greeted. “Are you alright?”

Bokuto recovered, his face flushed from a mixture of embarrassment, excitement, and too much caffeine consumption. Akaashi’s expression softened as he took in Bokuto’s appearance, the ghost a smile showing for just a second.

“Let’s go!” Bokuto announced. “You lead the way!”

***

“Everyone here is silent and scary and that frightens me, Hana-chan.”

Hana simply shushed her co worker, discreetly watching the angels of the Exodus branch scurry through the lobby. The Exodus branch seemed to have an odd aura of strict professionalism that was much less enforced in their home branch.

The angels that worked there seemed to be much less friendly, most ignoring the two visitors and some even uttering rude remarks under their breath. Even the receptionist had been quite snappish when Oikawa asked to speak with the head angel.

“No wonder Tetsu-chan and Yaku-chan transferred.” Oikawa scoffed. “The angels here apparently don’t believe in hospitality.”

“Don’t be so rude...” Hana begged, sitting stone still on the lobby couch. “We just strolled in from an agency on the complete opposite side of heaven, asking to see the head angel. They have every right to be wary of us.”

Oikawa simply huffed, leaning back on the lumpy cushion.

“Um...” A third voice began to clear it’s throat in front of the duo. “I heard that you two wanted to see me?”

 

Oikawa’s eyes slowly panned up, passing small feet and slim legs. His jaw dropped as his eyes laid upon the face of the Exodus Branch’s head angel.

“Holy shi-”

***

“Woah!”

“Bokuto-san, I understand that the plant is very pretty, but there is no need to marvel in joy every time you see a different one.”

“Akaaashhii!” The gray haired human whined. “I’ve never been to a botanical garden before!”

Akaashi held in a chuckle as he continued to walk down the brick path. The angel wouldn’t admit it, but he found the human’s innocent infatuation with mundane objects to be quite... charming.

The sky that day was clear, the blue contrasting nicely with the rich greens surrounding Akaashi and his human. Bokuto gushed over the colors, similar to his reaction to the sunset on their previous outing, but Akaashi was again left unimpressed.

Bokuto’s excited reaction when he saw something he deemed ‘pretty’ was the only sight worthwhile for Akaashi. Frankly, he found the human’s ability to be endearing to be simply ridiculous.

“Oh, it’s a fountain!” Bokuto said excitedly, rushing ahead of Akaashi.

The angel sighed lightly, keeping his breathing steady in fear of his heart rate speeding up again. He followed his human, giving him a questioning look as the taller male fished through his back pocket.

“Aha!” He exclaimed, pulling a small coin out and holding it up to his eye. “I found it...”

“What is it for?” Akaashi asked quietly, growing more perplexed as Bokuto dropped the coin in the angel’s hand.

Bokuto gave him a wild smile, pointing to the fountain. “You make a wish!” He stated simply.

“What do I wish for?” Akaashi asked, flipping the coin around with slender fingers.

The human burst into a deep chuckle. “I can’t tell you what you wish for! That’s all up to you! What do you want in life?”

“Well, there are many things that I want.” Akaashi stated simply. “I want to succeed in my career. I want to become a great barista...” He said, gazing up at the sky. “I want my friends to be in good health... I also wish to improve at volleyball...”

“Well, which is the most important?” Bokuto asked, holding back most of his excitement for Akaashi’s sake.

The angel looked him in the eye, a small internal debate raging in his mind. “Perhaps, it-”

“Don’t tell me!” Bokuto exclaimed. “If you tell someone else your wish, it won’t come true!”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, but kept his mouth shut nonetheless. He gave the small coin one last glance, before turning the stone fountain. 

The angel gave the tiny object a weak toss, closing his eyes as he heard the faint sound of the water taking his coin.

“I wish...” He breathed silently. “To make Bokuto-san happy.”

As he slowly opened his eyes, Akaashi turned to the side to see his wish punctually fulfilled.

Bokuto gave him yet another wide smile, but the second hand emotions Akaashi felt from him were much different. 

Instead of pure joy, Akaashi felt adoration and determination. It was a difficult feeling for the angel to understand, but he had gotten well acquainted with it over the past few days.

“Akaashi.” Bokuto said suddenly, his burst of courage almost knocking the angel over. “I need to ask you something.”

“Yes, Bokuto-san?”

“I...” He announced, slowly losing his courageous burst. “I was wondering... If... Yo-”

“Hey, Bokuto!”

Akaashi looked curiously over at the new voice as Bokuto let out a frustrated groan at the interruption. A blonde boy ran up to them, the logo of the botanical garden proudly displayed on his work shirt.

“Terushima-san?” Akaashi asked quietly.

Bokuto perked up. “Huh? Terushima?” He asked, as the mentioned boy finally reached the two.

“Hey, you’re Hana’s friend, right?” He asked Akaashi casually, catching his breath.

“Yes, I consider her a close friend.” Akaashi answered.

Terushima gave him a wild smile, reaching up to his eyes. “That’s cool! Are you still in contact with her?”

“Not actively, but it shouldn’t be a problem for me to visit her on a later date.”

“Could you give her something for me?” He asked, his expression turning slightly more serious as he pulled a small booklet out of the pocket of his work shirt.

Akaashi watched carefully as he began to scribble something onto the booklet. “Sure.”

He finished his message, tearing the paper off and handing it to Akaashi. “Thanks a ton. I... don’t have a way of contacting her after she moved...” He said, scratching the back of his neck. “I just... wanted to tell her thanks, ya know?”

Akaashi folded the piece of paper, sliding into his pocket. “I’ll make sure this gets to her then.”

“You rock!” He said, giving Akaashi a thumbs up. “Now, I gotta get back to work. It was nice seeing you, Bokuto!”

Bokuto simply gave him a short grunt, the gray haired human hanging his head. Akaashi had felt his mood change from excited to disappointed quite quickly once Terushima had arrived.

As the third party scampered off, the angel turned back to Bokuto, giving him a concerned look. 

“What were you saying before, Bokuto-san?” He asked, resisting the urge to lift Bokuto’s head.

“Nothing.” Bokuto pouted.

Akaashi sighed, reaching his left hand out towards his human. He lightly pressed his hand to the taller male’s cheek, lifting his head slightly to meet his eyes. 

Akaashi’s heart rate began to speed up slightly as his eyes met Bokuto’s golden ones. The sound of the water rushing in the background seemed to fade out completely as the two stood there.

“A-Akaashi...” Bokuto said lightly, every negative emotion he previously felt melting away.

He brought his hand up, laying it over where Akaashi’s still lightly ghosted over his face. Bokuto blushed slightly as he brought his hand down, intertwining his slightly shorter fingers with Akaashi’s long and slim ones.

This action only made the angel’s heart more excited.

“Akaashi, I was wondering...” Bokuto continued, the return of his courage not missed by Akaashi, “If you would... Be my boyfriend!”

If Akaashi’s heart rate was excited before, it had lost all control in that moment. His heart was beating so fast, he couldn’t move or speak, let alone have a coherent thought.

Everything, including Bokuto’s nervous expression, seemed to grow blurrier by the second. A sharp pain throbbed in the angel’s heart, causing him to grimace.

He saw, in blurry vision, as Bokuto’s nervous expression changed to one of worry. The angel’s knees suddenly collapsed, Bokuto thankfully catching him before he hit the ground.

Akaashi could faintly hear the calls of his name, but it faded out like background noise as his senses dulled. The only thing he could feel clearly was the stabbing pain in his heart.

His vision went completely black, followed by his hearing, then, by his consciousness.

***

Kuroo had hoped to have a peaceful evening. His mouth already watered at the thought of the Mackerel Pike waiting for him back at the apartment, the couch free for him to laze on.

However, his entire dream was shattered as he opened the door to an unconscious Akaashi and a worried Bokuto.

“What the hell?!” He exclaimed, dropping his shopping bags and rushing to the couch where Akaashi laid.

Bokuto looked up at him, his eyes watering. “I don’t know what happened... We were out and he just... collapsed! I-I did something wrong, didn’t I? I knew I’d mess up...”

“No, you did nothing wrong.” Kuroo reassured, lightly touching the back of his hand to Akaashi’s forehead. “Trust me, you’re fine.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Bokuto asked, rolling his bottom lip through his teeth nervously.

Kuroo checked his pulse quickly, before turning to the guest and nodding. “He should be fine. He’s still breathing.”

“Oh, thank god.” Bokuto breathed out, laying his face in his hands. “Can I stay for a while? Just to make sure he’s okay?”

“That should be fine.” Kuroo said, standing up. “Would you like anything to drink? Tea? Beer?”

“No, I’m alright, thanks.” He murmured.

Kuroo just nodded a response, tugging the refrigerator door open. “So, you two are pretty close, I take it?”

“For sure.” Bokuto replied, his expression cheering up just slightly. “Akaashi is so patient and understanding... He’s perfect!”

Kuroo sent him a side glance, grabbing a can from the fridge. “Patient and understanding, huh...” He echoed, cracking the can open. “Just don’t get your hopes up too much.”

Bokuto looked up, giving the angel a confused stare. “What do you mean?”

“Not everything will play out like a fairy tale.” He said, his mood sullen.

“I still don’t understand...” Bokuto said, looking back down at the man who had flipped his life upside down in a matter of days. “Akaashi is perfect. Everything will end up great!”

Kuroo took a sip of his drink, leaning against the counter. “Everyone has secrets, you know. You might get hurt once you learn his.”

“Akaashi would never hurt me.” Bokuto declared, playing with a stray of Akaashi’s dark hair. “He would never.”

“Not intentionally.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bokuto snapped, his defensive attitude showing.

“I think it’s best for you to leave.” Kuroo confessed. “And to never come back.”

Bokuto stood up, careful not to disturb Akaashi. “And why is that? Do you have a problem with me?”

“No.” Kuroo said simply, his left hand slowly traveling to his jacket pocket. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t get hurt!” Bokuto defended. “I wa-”

“Leave.” Kuroo pleaded, his hand playing mindlessly with the vial that sat in his jacket pocket. “Just go.”

Bokuto sent one last glance down at where Akaashi laid, sound asleep. “I’ll be back.” He whispered quietly, taking in the boy’s peaceful face one last time.

Kuroo shut his eyes as he heard Bokuto’s heavy footsteps make their way to the door. He gripped the can so hard it began to crush, the noise echoing through the small apartment.

“He’ll take good care of you.” Kuroo whispered to no one in particular. “He’ll do everything for you. Everything that I couldn’t for him.”

***

Akaashi woke up to the strong scent of fish in the air. He noticed that he was on the couch, his memories of how he got there unknown. He propped himself up, glancing around his apartment in confusion.

“Hey, you’re up!” Kuroo greeted from the kitchen. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Sure.” Akaashi said, still quite confused as to how he had gotten there. “I thought... I was out with Bokuto-san?”

“There was an incident.” Kuroo shrugged. “He took you back here after you passed out.”

“Oh...”

Kuroo took a cup from the cupboard, placing a teabag in it. “You must have had your first pain.”

“It was in my heart.” Akaashi recalled. “What could that mean?”

“Maybe a heart attack?” Kuroo suggested halfheartedly, pouring boiling water into the cup.

Akaashi watched as he added something else to the cup, not entirely sure what it was. “Yes, maybe...”

Kuroo turned around to face Akaashi, the tea in hand. “Well, you should rest up and recover.”

“That would be wise.” Akaashi replied.

Kuroo handed the cup of tea to him, immediately turning back around to the kitchen. “I hope that you know what you’re doing.” The older angel said.

Akaashi took a small sip of the tea, turning to give his roommate a quizzing glance. “What do y-”

A sudden drowsiness hit Akaashi just seconds later, the familiar feeling immediately causing him to panic.

“I’m sorry.” Was the last thing he heard, before he fell asleep yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say thank you so so so much for all of the amazing comments! Everyone is soooo nice and gahhh you're all amazing people and i love you!! Anyways, thanks for reading!! I really hope you enjoyed this chap!


	8. VIII: Lucifer - The Sulking Cave

News of Akaashi returning to heaven was buzzing throughout the entire office when Oikawa and Hana returned from their adventure. Both were excited that the junior angel was back from earth, but there was a slight complication.

No one had seen him since he had returned.

“It’s been almost two days and he’s still locked himself away in his office.”

“Suga-san sent Noya to stand guard, in case he comes out.”

“Can no one pick the lock or something?”

“He’s gonna die if he doesn’t get food soon...”

Oikawa scoffed at the passing gossip of people who didn’t even know Akaashi. “I’m so tired of all this chitchat.”

Hana nodded in agreement, dodging the masses in the lobby as they made their way through the hallway. “It’s ridiculous, I know. But that have a point.”

“Aka-chan has got to open up to us!” Oikawa announced, reaching the door of Akaashi’s office.

“We can only hope. He did go through a lot back on earth... I can see why he’s so closed off.”

“Aka-chan!” Oikawa called, banging on the door. “Are you in there?”

He was met with a sullen silence.

“Akaashi?” Hana called in a much lighter tone.

A slight rustle was heard on the opposite side of the door, the two perking up. They braced themselves for the door to be opened, but they were left without the touching reunion they had hoped for.

A ripped piece of paper fluttered out from under the door, Hana’s name written messily on the top. She picked it up, noting that the handwriting was too messy to be Akaashi’s own.

Oikawa peeked over her shoulder as she opened it, both struggling to make out the messy scribbled letters.

“‘Thank you for showing me the light.’” Oikawa read aloud. “‘Love, Yuuji’. Who’s Yuuji?”

Hana’s shocked expression quickly turned to one of great joy. “He’s... My human...”

“Your human?” Oikawa echoed as Hana turned her attention to the door. 

“Akaashi!” She called again, slightly more forceful. “Please... Please talk to us!”

A loud screech was heard before a bundle of red barreled into Hana. “Outta my way!”

“Tendou-chan!” Oikawa greeted. “Can you get us in?”

“Oh, why I can certainly try.” The redhead replied, pulling out a small wire.

Oikawa and Hana watched in anticipation as Tendou fiddled with the knob. After a few seconds, a click was heard, the red angel standing up straight with a proud expression on his face.

He let out a small cheer before pushing the door open, but only made it a few inches before it was halted.

“You have a chain? Seriously?” Oikawa whined.

Tendou stood back, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Bolt cutters. We need bolt cutters.”

Oikawa nodded at him, the two skipping off with promises to return with said tool.

“Akaashi! Come on! Just open up!” Hana begged, sitting on the floor and leaning against the door. “I know that it’s tough but... You need to eat or get some sunlight!”

The silence on the other side of the door was deafening. Her own thoughts and worries swirled around her head, the only break from the chaos being the footsteps of a various worker walking by.

“Akaashi…” She groaned, hitting her head against the door. “Come on... Bokuto wouldn’t want this.” The door opened, causing the senior angel to fall onto the ground. The hardwood floor of Akaashi’s office harshly contrasted the soft carpet of the hallway. “Ow…” She grumbled, rubbing the spot of her head that hit the ground.

“Don’t speak Bokuto-san’s name so casually.”

Hana looked up to see Akaashi standing over her. His eyes were blank, large purple bags decorating the underside. His hair was greasy, unstyled and unkempt.

“Akaashi? Are you okay?” Hana asked, quickly crawling to her feet. “You look awful! I’ll go grab you something to eat.”

Akaashi simply ignored her, sulking back to his desk. He collapsed back into his chair, his emotionless eyes focusing on a messy stack of papers. “Not hungry…” He mumbled.

“You can’t just spend the rest of your days sulking in here…” Hana sighed, approaching the desk.

 

Akaashi continued to ignore her, scribbling something on one of his documents. The female angel just hung her head in disappointment, brainstorming ways to help her unwilling junior.

“You can't just sit around letting this consume you.” She reasoned. “There's got to be some way...”

Her feet tapped rapidly as she continued to brainstorm. That was, until a certain name popped into her mind.

“Akaashi-kun...” She mumbled. “I’m going to help you.”

***

Kuroo would have to admit, the human world was boring. He could see some of the appeal, the technology was nifty and the streets were less crowded, but human minds were awfully simple. It was hard for him to have an intelligent discussion with young minds who had barely been alive two decades, compared to his own century.

Though Akaashi was still young among the angels, still on his first human, he was an intelligent junior. Kuroo missed the boy’s smart attitude, and missed having a companion on earth altogether.

As he continued to ponder the mundane innocence of youth, a large knock on the door of the apartment pulled him from his judgemental reverie. 

The senior angel didn’t even need to wonder who was at the door. He was fully expecting the visitor, especially after the events of the previous night.

“It’s open!” The angel called, not moving a single muscle in his body as he laid on the couch.

The door flew open, hitting the wall. Kuroo flinched slightly at the sound of the drywall breaking apart, but remained at rest.

“Kuroo!” Bokuto yelled, still standing in the doorway. “You have some explaining to do!”

Kuroo opened one of his closed eyes, briefly noticing the boy’s flared nostril and gritted teeth. His golden eyes were filled with rage, but a hint of worry kept a presence on his expression.

“Oh?” Kuroo said, closing his eye again and leaning his head back.

Bokuto stomped into the room, not bothering to shut the door. “Akaashi wasn’t as practice today?”

“Not my problem.” The angel shrugged.

“Oh, yes it is your problem!” The gray haired boy exclaimed. “Where is he?!”

Kuroo sighed, sitting up. He leaned forward, eyes peeking up at Bokuto from under his messy hair. “He left.”

“But why?!”

“It’s too complicated for me to explain.” Kuroo sighed, swinging his legs onto the ground. “Just go home and forget about him.”

Bokuto looked almost offended at the idea. “I can’t do that!”

“It’s easy to forget people.” Kuroo said, devoid of emotion. “Want some pointers?”

“Akaashi would never leave without telling me.” Bokuto countered, crossing his arms.

Kuroo’s eyes drifted up to the coffee table, to where two vials sat; on was empty, and one was full. “Well, he did.”

“Where did he go?” Bokuto asked, taking a step towards Kuroo.

Kuroo leaned back on the lumpy couch, resting his head on his hands. “Let’s just say... he’s from a different world.”

“Different... World?” Bokuto asked, head tilted to the side in confusion.

Kuroo let out a small chuckle, eyes still focused on the vials. “That’s right.”

“What does that mean?”

The messy haired angel turned his attention to Bokuto, a bittersweet smile on his face. “He’s not gone. He’s still with you. I promise.”

Bokuto was genuinely perplexed, his eyebrow raised and a thoughtful look on his face. “Huh? But where is he? I still need to ask him something.”

“You can ask him anything.” Kuroo said, turning back to the vials.

“How is that even possible?”

Kuroo bit his lip as a stray tear fell from his eye. “Just ask the wind. He’ll hear you.” He quickly wiped the tear away, eyes focused solely on the full vial. “I promise.”

***

All those months ago, Akaashi was skeptical of Kuroo’s idea to place a television in his office. However, as he sat at his desk, eyes glued to Bokuto’s dreams displayed on the screen, he couldn’t help but think his newly crowned arch nemesis had a good idea.

The angel couldn’t bring himself to look at current footage of his human, fearing what that would do to his mental state. He stared blankly as a few of Bokuto’s memories flew by the screen. Though he felt a strange clench in his heart every time a quick snippet of himself popped up, his reaction to most was blank and disinterested.

He barely registered as a few voices called for him on the opposite side of his office door. The white noise in his ears seemed to muffle the desperate calls.

However, one voice seemed to stand out among the others. It was by no means any louder, on the contrary it was much softer. But it was a voice Akaashi had never heard before.

He ripped his eyes away from the screen, slowly peeling himself from his office chair. The calls continued as he slowly walked to the door, someone even going as far as to repeatedly bang on it.

Akaashi was greeted to two familiar faces as he opened the door; Hana and Oikawa. But in between them stood a man he had not seen before, a timid aura surrounding him.

“Aka-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed, “You finally opened up!”

“Who’s this?” Akaashi asked, gaze rested curiously on the newcomer.

“This is Kenma.” Hana introduced. “Kenma Kozume. The head angel of the Exodus branch.”

Akaashi nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well.” Kenma replied, his voice soft and reserved.

“May I ask the purpose of your being here?”

Oikawa answered before the shorter male could open his mouth. “There are a couple things I think you two should discuss.”

“Come in.” Akaashi said quietly, presenting his surprisingly immaculate office.

The three filed in, Oikawa and Hana taking a seat on a couch by the wall and Kenma sitting in the chair in front of the desk. Akaashi slowly made his way around to his own chair, eying Kenma in the process.

“What exactly did you wish to discuss?” Akaashi asked, settling back into sitting position.

Kenma avoided eye contact as he fiddled with his fingers. “I... heard about your human.”

Akaashi stiffened up, nodding slightly. “Yes. I presume you mean the switch?”

“No.” Kenma said, shaking his head. “The... emotional side.”

“There was nothing emotional beyond the relationship of an angel and his hu-”

“Would you go back to earth to be with him?” Kenma interrupted.

“That is impossible and against the r-”

“Do you want to?”

Kenma finally got the courage to look up at him, his narrowed eyes almost intimidating to Akaashi.

“I... Yes.” Akaashi admitted. “I would very much like to return.”

Kenma looked back down to his lap. “I... I’ve been doing research. On how an angel can live on earth.” He absentmindedly picked at one of his nails as he spoke, his voice wary and calculating. “For some reason, I’ve always been fascinated by the topic.”

Akaashi knew the reason, though he wouldn’t say.

“Aka-chan,” Oikawa spoke up. “He can help you.”

“I think...” Kenma mumbled. Timid eyes looked up to meet Akaashi’s own, a small spark of determination in Kenma’s expression. “I think I’ve found a way.”

“That’s.. That’s brilliant...” Akaashi murmured. “How, exactly?”

“First, you need to return to earth, which I highly doubt Suga will let you do again.” Kenma admitted.

Akaashi sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Of course...”

“Don’t lose hope, Akaashi!” Hana cheered. “Maybe Suga-san will make an exception!”

“Suga-chan has never let an angel go to earth twice during one human’s lifespan.” Oikawa said, raising his index finger thoughtfully.

“Oikawa, be more supportive!” Hana scolded, smacking Oikawa’s shoulder.

Oikawa grimaced as he clutched his shoulder. “Ow! Rude, Hana-chan!”

“It’s fine.” Akaashi said quietly. “I... I don’t need to go back to earth.”

Hana and Oikawa both gave him a concerned look.

“Are you sure, Akaashi?” Hana asked.

“Yes.” The junior angel replied, standing. “It was my mistake for getting too attached to a human in the first place.”

“Akaashi... You can’t just... pass this up.” Hana said, walking to the desk. “This could be your only ch-”

The door of Akaashi’s office slowly creaked opening, interrupting Hana. All eyes in the room, except Kenma’s, snapped over as messy black haired popped into the crack.

“Uh... Hi!” Kuroo said, fully opening the door and stepping into the office.

“Tetsu-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed, earning a smirk from the named angel.

Akaashi sat back down, avoiding eye contact with Kuroo.

“Oh, you’ve got a visitor.” Kuroo noted, looking skeptically at the back of Kenma’s head.

The boy turned around, slowly looking up at Kuroo with a curious gaze.

Kuroo’s eyes widened and his jaw slacked. He slowly backed up to the door, leaning against it as his head spun. “K-Kenma?” 

Kenma tilted his head to the side in confusion, still looking up at the black haired angel. 

“I’m sorry... Who’re you?”

***

All human beings cope with emotions in different ways, similar to angels. 

Akaashi had locked himself in his office for days on end to calm himself down, whereas Kuroo had a different approach to his shock at Kenma’s arrival.

The senior angel had bribed the Exodus Branch head into staying with him, offering him an item called a ‘PSP’.

Akaashi was clueless as to how powerful this ‘PSP’ truly was. All he knew is that he never wanted one used on him, it’s powers being strong enough to keep Kenma in Kuroo’s office for almost three days.

Kuroo had bounced between Oikawa and Akaashi, pondering aloud at how he should go about his ‘Kenma situation’. Akaashi truly didn’t care, focusing more on his work, whereas Oikawa would offer useless advice that would get the black haired angel slapped, arrested, or both.

So, reasonably, when Kuroo burst into Akaashi’s office one day, his face flustered and breathing heavy, the junior angel assumed it was pertaining to Kenma. However, he was mistaken.

“Akaashi!” Kuroo exclaimed, slamming the door behind him as he stormed into the room. “Akaashi, have you heard?”

“About what, Kuroo-san?” Akaashi asked, reading over a file from the previous week.

Kuroo just groaned, rapidly searching the room. “Where did you put the remote?”

Akaashi grabbed it out of his drawer, tossing it to Kuroo without looking up from his work.

Kuroo turned on the television, pressing a couple buttons to change the channel. It wasn’t until he reached the channel with ‘LIVE’ written in the corner that he seemed satisfied.

Akaashi looked up at the screen as Kuroo turned the volume up, the file quickly slipping from his mind as he focused on the television.

On the screen stood a tiny Bokuto in a large, green field. He wore pajamas, as it was late night on earth. However, as the volume slowly inched up, Akaashi could hear the words being yelled from the human’s mouth.

“-I know that you left for a reason!”

“Kuroo-san, what is this...” Akaashi asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kuroo shushed him, pointing to the screen. “Just watch.”

The tiny Bokuto on the screen took a deep breath before letting out another loud announcement.

“Akaashi! I know that you wouldn’t leave if you didn’t have a reason to!” The human yelled. “But listen! I need... I need to tell you something!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Btw, you should go check out haikyuuwriters on Tumblr because they're wonderful people with a wonderful idea! (and I'm in their authors network hehe)
> 
> Also, next weeks update mAY be just a day late due to finals, so I'm sorry about that... Anyways, hope you enjoyed, have a great day!


	9. IX: Anael - Much Too Spontaneous

He couldn’t sleep.

The light rustle of the wind from outside his window seemed to mock him as he laid awake, eyes studying the bland ceiling in the dim lighting. The moon lent just a couple ray of it’s own light to keep him restless, the hoot of an owl in the distance a useless lullaby.

He couldn’t sleep.

He hadn’t been able to sleep for the past few days.

Bokuto ran a hand through his hair, throwing off his duvet with the other.

“Gahhh, dammit!” He groaned in the dark, the lack of cover not assisting to calm him down in the slightest.

He scrunched his eyes closed, attempting to force himself to sleep. Though this only backfired, thoughts a certain black haired male running through his head much too fast.

He gave up, opening his eyes and turning to the window. It was opened just a crack, enough for his drapes to dance elegantly in the cool midnight air. 

As the breeze reached his exposed skin, he felt his breath slip out, almost unknowingly. “Where did you go, Akaashi... Why did you leave me?”

A small voice in the back of his head caught Bokuto’s attention. It wasn’t his own, and he could barely make out the words, yet there was something oddly familiar about it.

“Just ask the wind. He’ll hear you.”

Bokuto’s body seemed to move on it’s own in that second. His bare feet made contact with the hardwood, their destination already in mind. He ran over to the closet, grabbing a random jacket and slipping on a pair of shoes before barrelling towards the door on clumsy legs. 

As he shut the door behind him, he quickly looked left and right, deciding where would be best. His legs took him left, breaking into a sprint before his mind could resist.

He passed buildings, a park, a revolting alleyway, fully concentrated on his goal. It wasn’t until the fields were in his sights that his pace slowed slightly.

The tall buildings of the city faded behind trees, the stars seeming to shine brighter.

His eyes rested on a small hill, disrupting the otherwise flatland. The wind began to pick up as he began his trek, marching up the hill in his pajamas and slippers.

“Akaaashii!” He called out, still slowly making his way up. “Agaashi!”

The wind seemed to pick up even more, the grass rustling gracefully around Bokuto. His unstyled hair got in his eyes, further hindering him.

He reached the peak of the hill, the wind growing even more.

“Perfect!” He exclaimed, a bitter tint laced in his tone. “Akaashi! Listen to me!”

Bokuto’s eyes drifted up to the sky, the stars seeming closer the further he ran from the city. The crescent moon patiently awaited the boy’s proclamation from among the night sky.

“Akaashi, you left!” He yelled. “You’re gone, and I don’t know why!”

The wind slowed down just a bit, as if some sick omen.

“But I know that you left for a reason! That... That there was something important! Because that’s just who you are!

“Um... Akaashi! I know that you wouldn’t leave if you didn’t have a reason to! But listen! I need... I need to tell you something! Ehh... I guess I should have written a script or something... But I mean, I’ll talk from the heart here! Yeah! That’s romantic! I think!”

Bokuto let out a big sigh before taking a breath.

“I want you to know that I care!”

The wind picked up again, rippling through the boy’s jacket and sweatpants. It hit his face, pulling a few tears from his golden eyes.

“I mean... that sounds stupid... I mean that... I care about you!” He continued, ignoring the wind. “You’re the only one who cared about my feelings! When everyone writes me off as dramatic!”

He paused, looking down to the ground.

“You were the only one patient enough to care...”

He looked back up, quickly rubbing a tear from his cheek. “And I feel like... It’s been cut short! This story we’re in! Our story!

“I haven’t made you smile enough! I... I love it when you smile, Akaashi! Because you don’t do that much! So... I guess... I don’t really know what I’m trying to say...”

He paused a moment, a million thoughts flowing through his head.

“I want you to come back, but I know you can’t.” He gave on last glance to the grass, before his eyes landed on the moon with a determined gaze. “I want to make you laugh, one more time!

“I want to make you happy!”

***

“I want to make you happy!”

As Bokuto’s figure on the screen ran back to the city, Akaashi slowly rose from his desk seat. The expression in his eyes truly scared Kuroo, mainly for the fact that it was purely unreadable.

“Kuroo-san...” Akaashi said quietly, “Where is Kenma-san...”

“In my office with Oikawa and Hana, why?” He replied, tilting his head to the side.

Akaashi suddenly burst out from behind his desk, headed straight for the door. “Follow me.”

The taller angel simply complied to Akaashi’s demand, following him as he marched down the hallway. He skipped the elevator, opting for the stairway up to Kuroo’s office.

Kuroo struggled to keep up, still concerned for his friend’s sudden outburst. However, he simply went along, taking the stairs two at a time as to not get left behind.

The trio in Kuroo’s office jumped as the door was slammed open, a determined Akaashi and fatigued Kuroo on the opposite side.

“Kenma-san,” Akaashi began, strolling into the office. “Will you come to earth with me and help me?”

Kenma looked up from his PSP, mumbling a quiet ‘yes’ before returning his attention to the piece of technology.

“Wait, I thought we already decided that Suga-san would never allow you to go back so soon?” Hana objected.

“Suga-san won’t know.” Akaashi replied confidently.

Oikawa stood up, slowly making his way over to the door. “Oh, this sounds interesting... Count me in. What do you say, Hana-chan?”

She looked nervously to the ground, bouncing her knee with anxiety. “I... I don’t think I can go.”

“That’s fine.” Akaashi said. “We must leave immediately, however.”

He began to walk down the hall, followed closely by an excited Oikawa and concerned Kuroo corralling Kenma. 

The group made it back to the staircase just as Hana’s voice echoed down the hall.

“Good luck guys!”

***

“Um, Aka-chan, do you just plan to... break in?” Oikawa asked, watching nervously as Akaashi picked the lock to Suga’s office.

“Yes.” Akaashi answered simply. “Tendou-san showed me a few pointers which have come in handy.”

“Look Akaashi, I support this whole escapade wholeheartedly,” Kuroo began. “But.. this could get us all fired.”

“We’ll be fine.” Akaashi retorted, the door clicking and creaking open.

Akaashi peeked in, flipping the lightswitch on and promptly strolling into the empty office. Kenma followed close behind, immersed in his PSP, and Oikawa and Kuroo were slightly more wary.

“Aka-chan, what are you looking for?” Oikawa asked, eyes scanning the endless bookshelves.

The brunette’s eyes landed on a cabinet in the corner, where Akaashi was currently shuffling through various vials. The junior angel pulled out seven vials exactly, stumbling over to the desk in the center of the room.

“What are these for?” Oikawa asked as Akaashi dropped them onto the desk.

Kuroo picked one up, examining the color. “It’s how we travel from heaven to earth.”

“One full dose has the capability to send you across dimensions.” Akaashi mumbled thoughtfully.

Oikawa quickly counted the vials. “There are only seven though? Don’t we need eight for a round trip?”

“I’m not coming back.” Akaashi stated confidently.

Three sets of eyes went wide at that statement.

“You sound... very confident.” Kuroo pointed out. “Isn’t it better to have a backup plan?”

“It’s too late for that.” Akaashi snapped, popping the lid of one of the vials open. “This has got to work.”

Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Leaping without looking really isn’t like you, Aka-chan...”

Kuroo nodded in agreement. “This is Bokuto’s influence, I know it.”

Akaashi simply narrowed his eyes at the two, before tipping the bottle back and swallowing the bland liquid without hesitation.

***

Akaashi was the first to awaken back on earth, near the same run down bridge and small stream as the previous time. Kenma had arrived shortly after, and the other two just seconds later.

It took Kenma and Oikawa a few minutes to adjust to their human bodies, both walking on shaky legs and battling gravity, but they quickly got the hang of it.

It didn’t take long for the four to begin their walk to downtown, Kenma and Oikawa falling behind to play video games and admire the midnight city scenery respectively. This left Kuroo and Akaashi a few feet of privacy.

“Kuroo-san,” Akaashi began, voice devoid of emotion. “I think it’s time you explain some things to me.”

“There’s nothing to explain.” Kuroo chuckled humorlessly.

Akaashi looked up at the taller angel, eyes sharp and cold. “I want to know what happened between you and Kenma-san.”

“You know the pieces, put it together.” Kuroo shrugged.

“That’s not the full story and you know it.” Akaashi said harshly. “You spread the rumor that Kenma was your human when you transferred agencies. You blamed yourself for something you didn’t do. I want to know why.”

“Just full of questions today, now aren’t you, Akaashi-kun.” Kuroo patronized.

“I’ll find the answers one way or another.” Akaashi rebutted.

Kuroo spared a glance at the boy behind him, before quickly snapping his attention back to the starry sky. “You honestly know most of it.

“Kenma was good friends with my past human. You know that much already.” Kuroo sighed. “You know... how I felt about Kenma as well.” Kuroo trailed off as the apartment building came into view. He sent an apologetic smile to Akaashi. “Raincheck?”

Akaashi simply glared at his senior, eyes turning to the building. “You go on ahead, I have something to do.”

“A something named Bokuto Koutarou?” Kuroo smirked. “Use protection!”

Akaashi just shot him a warning look, breaking apart from the small group. He knew exactly where Bokuto’s apartment was, information he had to study strictly for guardian angel duties. It wasn’t a long walk, and the sparse sidewalks helped to calm any nerves that snuck their way into Akaashi’s consciousness.

It was the sharp call of the wind that truly snapped Akaashi back to reality and reminded him exactly what he was doing. Not only defying his boss, but randomly showing up at his human’s door in the middle of the night. 

It was too spontaneous. Too... free.

It was when Bokuto’s apartment building came into view that Akaashi realized his lack of a plan. The poor angel was already having a mental breakdown and a half, but this just added fire to the flame.

He passed the front door, continuing down the sidewalk before pivoting back. He repeated the motion, slowly speeding up his pace as he mumbled to himself.

“I’m sorry...” He muttered. “I didn’t mean to do this to you... No, that’s stupid... I’m sorry is a good place to start...”

His eyes turned to the front door, his legs stopping. He took a deep breath before walking forward, opening the metal door.

His legs shook as he chanted ‘I’m sorry’ under his breath. He made his way up the staircase on wobbly legs, his mantra continuing to fall from his lips.

It wasn’t until he reached Bokuto’s floor that his heart began to beat quicker. He used the wall for support as he counted down the doors, each one signalling a step closer to his human.

Once he finally reached the correct number, he barely had the strength to knock on the door. He gave it two weak knocks before backing up, continuing to mumble under his breath.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so-”

“Akaashi?”

Akaashi looked up to see the door wide open, Bokuto standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and confused. His hair was unstyled, laying against his forehead, and his pajamas were wrinkled and had grass stains in certain places.

‘I’m sorry’ Akaashi thought, though he couldn’t get the words to escape his mouth.

“Akaashi, why-”

Akaashi lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Bokuto’s neck and slamming his lips into the taller male’s own. The force caused their teeth to clank together quite painfully, but Akaashi quickly adjusted, bringing their lips together once more.

Bokuto’s arms wrapped around the angel’s back, holding Akaashi’s shaking body up. If not for the support he would have collapsed onto the floor from sheer nerves.

Akaashi pulled away, resting his forehead against his human’s. “I’m sorry...”

“Akaashi, I-”

“You make me so happy.” Akaashi laughed lightly, a tear falling from his eye.

Bokuto blushed lightly. “You heard that?”

A small smile forced it’s way onto Akaashi’s face. “Every word.”

“What did you think? Was I romantic?” Bokuto asked, giving the angel a goofy, lopsided grin.

Akaashi just nodded, brushing his lips over Bokuto’s once more. “The most romantic.”

Bokuto tucked his head into Akaashi’s neck, pulling him into a close hug as he mumbled the angel’s name. “Can you stay?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Bokuto pulled back, looking at Akaashi with a dejected expression. “Where are you going now?”

“I have to do something. But I promise, one day I’ll be able to stay.” Akaashi said, reluctantly pulling out of Bokuto’s warm embrace. “I have to go.”

“Can I come too?” Bokuto asked, grabbing Akaashi’s hand.

Akaashi shook his head, sliding his hand from Bokuto’s own. “No. I’m sorry. But I’ll be back.”

The angel walked back down the hall, painfully aware of the golden eyes watching him as he left.

***

Akaashi returned to his own apartment quite swiftly. He knew that the next day would be tough, and he wanted to rest up.

However, when he entered, he was not expecting to see Kuroo, sitting on the couch with a bottle in his hand a blank expression.

“Why aren’t you resting?” Akaashi had asked, the second he walked in.

Kuroo gave a half hearted smirk to the junior angel. “I thought I had some explaining to do, as you put it.”

Akaashi took his shoes off, walking into the kitchen. “Then go right ahead.”

“I begged him.” Kuroo sighed. “I begged him to switch with me.”

Akaashi grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, leaning against the counter. “Kenma’s angel?”

Kuroo nodded. “I told him that he was too inexperienced to help Kenma through his rough patch.”

“Rough patch?” Akaashi inquired, taking a sip of his water.

Kuroo waved his hand in dismissal. “A story for another time. Anyway, I was young and foolish, though that is such a generic excuse. I went down to earth to be with Kenma. To try to help him.”

“What about your own human?”

“He was fine.” Kuroo shrugged. “He got through everything on his own. But Kenma... He needed someone. I became that someone, because his angel didn’t know what to do.”

“That’s irresponsible.” Akaashi deadpanned.

“I realize that.” Kuroo snapped, running a hand through his messy hair. “After I returned to heaven, and Kenma’s angel was unable to help him, I realized it.”

“That’s how he’s an angel...” Akaashi pondered aloud. “Because he didn’t go down the path of corruption. His angel just didn’t know.”

Kuroo let out a humorless laugh. “You know, you and Bokuto remind me of us. That’s why I switched us.”

“What do you mean?”

“You could help Bokuto so much more than I ever could.” Kuroo said, standing up. “I’m just not skilled enough.”

“Kuroo-san, I d-”

Kuroo turned around, narrowing his eyes. “Treat him right.”

Akaashi nodded, pushing himself off the counter.

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is the chapter that this entire idea stemmed from! An honestly it's my personal favorite. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Only one chapter left!


	10. X: Hesediel - I'll Never Let You Fall

“The dead cannot be brought back to life under any circumstances, this is an irrevocable fact. And due to angels being the afterlife of humans, angels cannot be returned to their human state.”

Akaashi, Kuroo and Oikawa listened intently as Kenma boredly deadpanned his plan, his attention remaining on his PSP.

“Then what exactly is your plan?” Kuroo asked from the kitchen.

Kenma sighed, sparing the senior angel a single glance before turning back to his game. “The reason that angels cannot stay on earth is the repetition of death. Simply stop the repetition and angels can stay on earth for as long as they please.”

Akaashi gave him an unsure look. “I died of a heart attack. How do you prevent the heart attack from repeating?”

“Modern medicine is great.” Kenma shrugged.

Oikawa groaned, draping himself across the couch. “I thought it would be... more... dramatic!”

“I would also suggest strengthening your connection to the human world.” Kenma said offhandedly.

“What exactly would that entail?” Akaashi asked.

“Learning about your life as a human.”

The room grew silent.

“That’s...” Oikawa trailed off. “Dangerous.”

“You only believe that because it’s what you’ve been taught to believe.” Kenma said simply. He spared a glance up from his PSP. “It will work.”

“This is great!” Kuroo said, clapping his hands together. “We already have a place to start!”

Akaashi gave him a confused look. “And what exactly would that be?”

“Your natural athletic ability.” Kuroo shrugged. “We can start with high school and university level sports teams in the country.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea, Tetsu-chan!” Oikawa mused from the couch. “Except... there are thousands of sports teams in Japan. Where are we supposed to look?”

“We could start with volleyball.” Akaashi suggested, sitting on the armrest of the couch.

Kenma made a nod of acknowledgement. “Oikawa, Kuroo, go get this from the pharmacy.”

Kuroo lunged forward to grab the piece of paper from Kenma, stepping back to read it. “What will this do?”

 

“Stabilize my heart, I assume?” Akaashi asked.

Kenma simply nodded, attention still on his game. “Akaashi and I will do our research while you’re out.”

***

“You look antsy as hell.”

Bokuto looked up from the bench in the locker room to see Konoha standing above him, a lazy smirk on his face. “Huh?”

“You’ve been in this weird funk ever since that Akaashi guy took off.” The blond sighed, leaning against the lockers. “Were you really that whipped?”

“Wha?” Bokuto exclaimed, his cheeks heating up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I thought he was just a pretty face and a nice hole to fill.” Konoha shrugged. “But you see more in him.”

Bokuto’s eyes lit up to a deadly fire. “Of course I do! He’s so much more than... that!”

“Woah, man. Just kidding.” Konoha defending, raising his hands in surrender. “I was right. You are antsy.”

Bokuto groaned, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t help it! Akaashi’s going through a really tough time and I can’t do anything about it!”

“Maybe you just need to get laid.” Konoha snickered.

“That’s not it!” Bokuto bellowed. “Someone I care about is going through something hard and... I can’t help him...”

“I know you like him, but it’s not like there’s anything you can do, whatever the case is.”

“It feels wrong...” Bokuto admitted. “That I can’t protect him right now.”

“You trust too easily. How do you know he won’t take advantage of you?”

“He would never take advantage of me.” Bokuto looked up at his friend, a bittersweet expression on his face. “He protects me too.”

***

“This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. What are we supposed to do if we get arrested? We’ll probably die if they confiscate the weird juice thing...”

“Oikawa, shut up.”

“I’m raising valid points!”

It was long after business hours in the certain university building Oikawa, Kuroo, Akaashi, and Kenma had broken into. They were currently sneaking through the halls, Akaashi in the lead, eyes peeled for the headmaster’s office.

“We’ll be fine.” Akaashi hissed.

The research Kenma and Akaashi had come across had led to this university. It was the only one in Tokyo with an ‘Akaashi Keiji’ on the volleyball team from twenty years prior.

“You didn’t have to come.” Kuroo whispered to the brunette. “It would have been easier without your whining.”

“Rude, Tetsu-chan!”

It was then that the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Oikawa’s eyes widened in fear as Kuroo quickly opened a random door, pulling his three accomplices in with him.

Kuroo quickly turned the lights on, surveying the room. A small, single bathroom.

“This is certainly a setback.” Akaashi scowled.

Kuroo sighed, sliding down to sit on the floor. “We’ll probably be stuck in here for a while if security is still on patrol.”

Kenma crawled up onto the bathroom counter, next to the sink, pulling out his PSP.

“Is now really the time for games, Kenma-chan?” Oikawa whined, pacing in the small area.

Kenma simply ignored him.

Akaashi put his ear to the door, listening for the heavy footsteps of the school’s security guards. “He has the right idea. We’re stuck.”

Oikawa just groaned, continuing to pace. The brunette suddenly stopped, giving Akaashi and Kuroo a horrified look. 

“Guys...” Oikawa began. “We’re in a bathroom...”

Kuroo nodded sarcastically. “Yes, yes we are. Fantastic perceptional skills, Oikawa. Way to go.”

Oikawa pouted. “I have to pee.”

Kuroo grimaced. “Just hold it.”

“I don’t think I can...” Oikawa shook his head.”

“Well, you’ll have to try.”

Kenma turned the faucet on.

“Kenma you little shit...”

After a few minutes, the guards had passed, and Akaashi had heard only silence on the other side of the door. He peeked out, scanning the halls quickly, before indicating that it was safe to exit the bathroom.

The snuck down the hall, wasting no time in finding the headmaster’s office. Akaashi picked the lock, opening the door to the small room.

Kenma, Kuroo, and Akaashi immediately went to work sorting through various files and old newspapers as Oikawa explored the office. It only took a few minutes for the brunette to grow bored of the dusty knick knacks and join Kuroo in searching through newpapers.

“Akaashi Keiji. Twenty years old. Vice captain and setter of the volleyball team. Honors student. Died of a heart attack.”

Oikawa and Akaashi peeked over Kuroo’s shoulders as the black haired angel read off the old university newspaper.

“This is over twenty years old...” Oikawa noted. “Will this be enough to tie him to earth?” He asked, turning to Kenma.

“Not quite.” Kenma responded, laid out on the floor surrounded by files.

Kuroo sighed, leaning back in the chair of the headmaster’s office. “What else do we need to find?”

Kenma rolled over, his eyes roaming over the ceiling. “I think it would be a good idea for him to visit his grave.”

“That’s kind of barbaric, Kenma-chan...” Oikawa grimaced, leaning against the wall. “To have to visit.. Himself?”

“It makes sense.” Akaashi responded. “That would strengthen the tie.”

“How do we know...” Kuroo mumbled, looking up from the newspaper. “Where he’s... buried.”

Akaashi stood up. “It’s simple. We just take a look around.”

“You want us to look around a cemetery in the middle of the night?” Oikawa asked.

Kuroo shrugged. “I’m down for it.”

“Then it’s settled.” Akaashi said standing up.

Oikawa groaned, walking over to the door. “This seems like a bad idea...”

***

For an angel, the concept of death was tricky. Depending on how a human lived their life, they either ended up as an angel, or a demon. They called the demon side, ‘the path of corruption’.

The purpose of guardian angels altogether was to keep humans from beginning on the path of corruption. One downside to being an angel on earth was being able to tell where each human went after death.

Kenma, Kuroo, and Akaashi had all experienced earth before, the corrupted spirits in the cemetery not bothering them as they searched.

However, Oikawa had never felt such a heavy, dark aura as he currently did.

After just a couple minutes of searching, the heaviness in his heart began to affect his health.

“Oikawa, you alright?” Kuroo called from a couple rows down.

Akaashi raised a hand in dismissal, leaning against a tree with his other. “I’m fine.”

Kuroo jogged over to him, a worried expression on his face. “It’s a lot to take in for the first time.”

Oikawa took a few deep breaths, looking up at Kuroo. “Are we doing the right thing?”

“What do you mean?” Kuroo asked.

The brunette sent a sad gaze to the hundreds of headstones in the cemetery. “There’s... there’s so much darkness here.” He choked out. “Earth is a terrible place.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong idea.” Kuroo chuckled, lifting his co workers arm and slinging it around his own neck. “Earth is beautiful.”

“Beautiful? How is this beautiful?” Oikawa asked, limping along with the taller male.

“Human beings.” Kuroo answered simply.

“They’re filled with bad intentions.” Oikawa muttered.

Kuroo knocked him on the head lightly. “Think about it. What is Akaashi doing right now?”

“Trying to return to earth...”

“But why?”

Oikawa gave him a questioning look. “Because he fell in love with a human?”

“Exactly.” Kuroo nodded, walking down the aisles the headstones yet again. “He’s doing this for love.”

“I still don’t see what you’re trying to say, Tetsu-chan.” Oikawa scoffed lightly.

“Kuroo-san! Oikawa-san!”

The two looked over to where Akaashi was waving at them, Kenma by his side.

“Did you find it?” Kuroo called.

Akaashi nodded, beckoning them over.

“I guess we’ll have to save the philosophy for another time.” Kuroo snickered, dragging Oikawa in Akaashi’s direction.

Oikawa just hugged, limping along.

“I don’t feel any different.” Akaashi noted as the two approached.

“That’s to be expected.” Kenma said quietly. “After all, you’re only strengthening your bond to earth.”

“Is that all, then?” Oikawa asked. “He’s just... able to live on earth now?”

Akaashi gazed down at the headstone with his own name carved into it.

“I’d say it’s strong enough for now.” Kenma mumbled. “He’ll have to spend some time researching and take good care of his heart though...”

“It’s not over.” Akaashi stated cooly. “But it’s begun.”

“You’re going through all this for Bokuto.” Kuroo mused, releasing Oikawa.

Akaashi nodded, looking up from his own headstone. “He’s certainly unique. When do you all plan on returning?”

“I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.” Oikawa noted, leaning on Kuroo.

“Then this is where I say farewell.”

Akaashi looked up to his four co workers, a hint of sadness in his dark eyes.

“Wait, Aka-chan...” Oikawa gasped.

Kuroo sent the shorter male a bittersweet look. “We’ll never meet again, will we.”

“We will not.” Akaashi confirmed.

Oikawa tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why? Once Bokuto passes on, Akaashi will return, won’t he?”

“That’s not how it works.” Kuroo hissed.

Akaashi changed his gaze from his friends to the night sky. “I should probably get going. I want to see him.”

He held his hand out to Kuroo, taken aback when the taller angel pulled him into a hug. Oikawa joined in as well, pulling Kenma with him.

“I’m going to miss your smartass comments.” Kuroo cried.

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you.” Oikawa teased.

Akaashi pulled out of the hug, giving his friends one last look. “Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”

“Of course.” Kuroo saluted. “That’s what you do for your friends.”

The three took the potions and returned to heaven on the spot, Akaashi watching as they disappeared one by one. He stayed in the cemetary for a few minutes, simply pondering his current situation.

Until his feet began to lead him. He knew exactly where he was going, in both mind and body. 

Which meant it wasn’t long until he ended up at Bokuto’s front door, out of breath, and thoughts buzzing through his head at miles a minute.

He frantically knocked at the door, barely able to contain his emotions as he heard the footsteps on the other side. The sound of the door unlocking seemed to move in slow motion, echoing through his skull and vibrating through his body.

He didn’t even have a chance to think once the door opened, strong, warm arms immediately embracing him. He wrapped his own arms around the figure, his shaking body seeming to calm down.

“Akaashi...” Bokuto cried out.

“I can stay.”

***

“I’m in trouble, aren’t I.”

Oikawa sat in the chair in Suga’s office, the angel in question right behind his desk.

“Of course you’re in trouble for breaking into my office without permission.” Suga said, leaning back in his office chair. “But that’s not why I called you here.”

“Why then?” Oikawa asked.

Suga chuckled lightly, fingers drumming absentmindedly on his desk. “Do you think Akaashi-kun is foolish for the decision he made? In going to earth?”

Oikawa thought for a second, leaning back in his chair. “Frankly, yes. I do.”

“And why is that?”

“He’s an angel.” The brunette stated simply. “He’s not supposed to live on earth.”

“Yet you helped him commit a sin.” Suga countered. “And why is that?”

Oikawa shifted nervously in his seat. “I.. don’t really know.”

“You know, but you won’t admit it to yourself.” Suga teased. “Akaashi was once an angel. He chose earth over heaven. He is now, a fallen angel.”

“That’s a sin.” Oikawa pointed out. “It’s envy.”

“You don’t understand the code we live by.” Suga rebutted, leaning forward over his desk. “You don’t understand the teachings.”

Oikawa gave him a confused look.

“Love is not a sin. And pure, untainted love is most definitely not a sin. Akaashi-kun may not return to heaven, but what he did isn’t wrong.”

“All sin is wrong.”

“To err is to be human.” Suga quoted. “And humanity is something we all long for.”

“So you’re excusing his actions?” Oikawa asked.

“Not quite.” Suga mused. “But I can’t say that I would have done differently, if put in his position.”

“Suga-chan, what are you trying to say?” Oikawa asked.

“Humans are full of love. And any sin committed in pure, caring, selfless love, is not wrong. It’s as simple as that.”

***

Akaashi woke up to an empty apartment. 

He still hadn’t quite gotten used to living on earth, and he was still settling in with Bokuto. However, his time on earth was certainly pleasant.

He rolled out of Bokuto’s bed, where the older boy insisted he sleep as he took the couch, making his way to the small kitchen. The strong scent of coffee filled the small space, a mug already prepared for Akaashi’s arrival.

As he poured the bitter drink into the mug, the door burst open. Bokuto fell into the apartment, his arms filled with plastic shopping bags.

“Bokuto-san...” Akaashi sighed, walking over to the human.

Bokuto gave him a sheepish look, placing the bags on the table. “Sorry, Akaashi...”

“What are these all for?” Akaashi asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Bokuto’s eyes lit up in excitement as he pulled a box out of one of the bags. “I was going to make you breakfast!”

“Really?” Akaashi asked, surveying the bags. “What’s the occasion?”

“You’ve been living with me for a week!” Bokuto exclaimed, dropping the box of pancake mix and pulling Akaashi into a hug.

The angel struggled to balance the coffee and the large man hanging off of him. “Bokuto-san, it’s only been a week.”

“A week is a long time!” Bokuto gasped, pulling away. “That’s... seven whole days! Seven whole nights under the same roof!”

Akaashi held in a small chuckle at the boy’s antics. “Will you be preparing breakfast for me for every seven days I stay with you?”

“Of course!” Bokuto said, looking awfully proud of himself. “You being here is always something to celebrate!”

“And why is that?”

Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck, a small blush forming on his cheeks. “Well... you already know....”

“I will always protect you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said, in a more serious tone. “I will always care about you. I want to stay here for a while more.”

“I’d like that!” Bokuto said.

Akaashi set his cup down, wrapping his arms around Bokuto yet again. “I promise, I’ll always be here for you. You’ll always have someone to return to.”

“That... means a lot, Akaashi...”

Akaashi looked up at wide golden eyes.

“I promise, I’ll never let you fall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow... okay, it's over. I've dedicated over two months of my life to this and it's over. Quite the bittersweet feeling. Thank you all so so much for the wonderful and kind comments, and for sticking around till the last chapter! This was a lot of fun to write so I hope it was fun to read for at least someone <3
> 
> (shameless self promo: If you like rare pairs and disasters, feel free to check out my new project, K, So At the Zoo. I basically get two random characters and 30 seconds to come up with a one shot for them.)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in this fandom, and my first fic on this site, so constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Thanks for reading! I'll try to update weekly but who knows how that'll turn out.


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